The Cursed Mask's Secret
by WindSymphony
Summary: Kaname Kururugi was a normal junior high student. A bit oblivious, hopeless in the love department, and with a huge gossip of a best friend. However, on the night of the Doll Festival of Wishes, her life changed. Kaname must now journey through Feudal Japan with a cast of interesting characters, make new firends, and find a way home. Oh, and possibly find love, too!
1. Prologue

The Cursed Mask's Secret

Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairytale

Prologue – The Doll Festival of Wishes

The sun hung low in the sky, signaling the late hour; undoubtedly, a slight chill of winter still hung in the early spring air outside. However, Kaname Kururugi was unaware of this as the bus trundled down the street. The junior high student sighed heavily as she listened to her friend chatter on. Her friend's name was Yuka Takagan, and they had known one another since primary school; how their friendship had continued was beyond most that knew them, as Kaname was much more reserved than Yuka, who was somewhat of a gossip.

Which is what the brunette found herself listening to as Yuka rattled off all the new gossip of the week. She was mostly tuning it out, until one particular sentence caught her attention. "What, wait," she exclaimed as she jumped back to attention, a hand coming to cover her mouth in her shock. "You cannot be serious! Are you sure they're going steady?" The girl flinched as she realized how loud she had been, flushing as Yuka shushed her.

"Come on," Yuka hissed, face flushed red. "You don't have to make such a scene, Kaname." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, the girl huffed and turned her attention back to the window. "Just one look at them and it's totally obvious. They've probably been serious for a while now." With a slight smirk, the girl continued, "Just like another obvious couple?"

"N-no way! Hiro and Seiko?"

"Oh my God, you don't have to flip out about it! You've got to be the densest person ever when it comes to noticing stuff like that!"

Kaname flushed, one hand on the handgrip and the other adjusting her backpack. "Well, I mean…" Sighing, the brunette allowed herself to jostle with the movement of the bus. "It's just that they're still only in junior high…."

"Still in junior high?" Yuka snorted a laugh, shaking her head. "C'mon, already in junior high in more like it! Besides," she shrugged, still grinning in a slightly taunting manner. "There are tons of girls in our year that already have boyfriends! Like Yume and Takai-san… Miko… Oh, and Tomo-chan!"

"Tomo-chan, too?"

Yuka's grin fell at the genuinely distressed tone her friend's voice held. "Oops, you didn't know?"

Kaname shook her head, staring at her feet. "No… And here I thought I was her friend."

"Look," Yuka offered a smaller smile, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "I bet she just didn't want to hurt your feelings. After all, it's not like you have a boyfriend yet!" The girl giggled again, quickly pressing the call button as the bus announced the next stop.

 _"Kururugi Shrine! Please ring the bell if you'd like to get off."_

* * *

Kaname rushed towards the shrine steps as soon as the bus opened the doors. "I'll see you later at the festival, Yuka!" She called back, waving to her friend as she hurried through the crowd. Oh, she was so late! Her twin brother Michiru, usually the slacker, was even there before she was!

'Dad is going to be so mad,' the girl thought, hesitating as she saw her father at a stand. The man was already in his traditional clothing, handing out the ceremony dolls with a smile. However, as he locked eyes with the teen, his expression darkened slightly; Kaname gulped before plastering a grin on her face.

"Hi dad!"

"You're late," the middle-aged man grumbled, still smiling as the last couple of festival goers left his stand. "You know today is the doll festival of wishes…"

The brunette felt her entire body deflate as she nodded sullenly. "Yeah, I know, but my homeroom class went way over time and… You know what, dad? I'll go get changed and come right back, okay?" Turning on her heel, the girl took a few trotting steps towards the Kururugi household.

"Wait!"

Kaname stopped and turned back around, cocking her head in question at her father.

Face relaxing into a gentle expression, the man pointed towards the storage shed at the back of the shrine grounds. "First, run to the shed and get me some more amulets? Your brother and mother are giving enough help right now, but I've run out. Then get changed, young lady."

"Yes, sir!" Kaname nodded and smiled, adjusting her backpack and heading towards the storage shed. The small building was nestled at the back of the shrine grounds, behind the house and shrine itself. Despite the festival going on just a couple of feet away, it was somehow quiet near the shed. A slightly cold breeze blew through the air, causing Kaname to shudder slightly. When she had been younger, she had been deathly afraid of the storage house, something Michiru had teased her about relentlessly.

Squaring her shoulders, the girl shook her head and pushed the doors open. The setting sun lit up a small amount of the shed, causing the back of the building to be swallowed in shadows. Kaname pouted as she thought, 'I think we left the amulets in the back last year, which means I should have brought a flashlight…' Grumbling, the girl carefully stepped into the shed, blinking and hoping her eyes would adjust quickly. However, a yelp forced its way from her throat as the floor collapsed beneath her feet, causing one of her legs to become stuck in the wood.

"Oh geez, the floor is totally rotten!" The teen groaned and began trying to loosen her leg without cutting it up more than it had already been. "Just like my luck…. Dad's just going to love hearing about this…" Leaning over to wiggle her leg out easier, the girl froze as the floor wobbled a bit more. Before she could pull back, though, the wood collapsed beneath her.

Kaname saw a strange, swirling vortex of light before all consciousness left her.

* * *

A/N: Me, working on a fanfic while another one is unfinished? It's more likely than you'd think. But Inuyasha and the game Secret of the Cursed Mask was an important part of my childhood. I've tried many times over the years to write a fanfic like this one – a novelization of sorts of the SotCM game – and finally feel like I can do it justice. It should come out much faster than my JJBA fanfic, seeing as it's mostly pre-written. It will also be a bit choppy in dialogue sometimes since I'm going off how I remember the game.

This is a dream fanfic tbh and I hope you all like it!

…. No beta reader unfortunately so I apologize for any errors that I missed on my own….


	2. Chapter 1

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairytale

Chapter 1 – The Strange Light

Kaname groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. It throbbed in time with her heartbeat, like the time she had been hit over the head with a volleyball in gym class. Blinking the stars out of her eyes, the girl looked around the sunset tinted forest. The sound of birds filtered through the trees, creating an almost calming atmosphere. It had been so long since she had been to the woods…

Wait, there weren't that many trees around her house. And, not to mention, she had just been in the storage shed….

Heart beginning to pound, the brunette carefully stood up and took in her surroundings. Deep woods surrounded her on all sides, nothing like the woods around her house. And noise of the festival couldn't be heard; regardless of the distance, she still should have been able to hear something.

"H-hello?" Kaname cautiously called out. "Mom? Dad? Michiru?" Hesitantly walking forward, the girl grew bolder in her shouting. "Is anybody there? Can anyone hear me?" When only the sound of the forest reached her ears, the girl sighed and hugged herself. Her heart continued to beat wildly, and her hands shook very slightly. 'Just what is going on?'

After a moment of standing in the forest field, finding her phone had no signal despite being outside, the girl sighed. 'No use standing around here,' she thought, tossing her phone back in her backpack and adjusting the pack. 'Might as well start looking for where I am… Maybe I'm not far from home at all!'

Filled with sudden excitement, the girl hurried through the thick woods. The fading sunlight made her nervous, anxious to get home as soon as she possibly could. Besides, she would be in so much trouble for not getting those doll amulets to Dad. And Yuka was probably waiting somewhere at the festival for her… Oh, this was just horrible…

A sudden crack of a tree branch startled the teen from her thoughts. The dim light of torches illuminated the heavily shadowed woods, causing Kaname's heart to pick up speed again. 'Is that Dad and Mom?' Walking closer to the light, she took a breath and called out, "H-hey! What-" However, as the small group turned towards her, the girl's voice died in her throat. The group of men in kimono and hakama, farming tools turned weapons clutched in their hands, were not from the festival.

"A demon!" One of the men shouted, alerting the others to the girl's presence.

"Is it the demon in the temple?"

"You damn demon, give me my daughter back!" Another man rushed forward, swinging his weapon at Kaname. The girl dodged shakily, nearly stumbling over her own feet.

Backing up, Kaname held her hands in front of her, in an attempt to show she meant no harm. "W-wait, listen, I don't know what you're talking about! Just wait, please!"

"Don't listen to it!"

"Don't let the demon get away, it's trying to run!"

Kaname gulped, terrified tears welling up in her eyes. 'I have to get away,' she thought, taking a shaky step back. 'I can't stay here; I need to run.' Nodding to herself, she clenched her fists and turned on her heel. The soft earth was turned up beneath her feet and her breath came in short bursts. However, the faster she made her legs move, the further away the men's voices were. 'I can get away, I need to get away!'

* * *

Panting for breath, Kaname slouched against a tree. Sweat beaded at her forehead and it felt as though her uniform shirt and vest were drenched. She never ran that fast, even in gym class. "But," she sighed out, fanning herself absently as she listened to her surroundings. "I think it paid off; I got away from those people…."

Slowly slipping down the tree, Kaname ignored the slight sting in her back as she settled on the soft grass. The cool breeze of the early night sent a chill down her spine; it wasn't exactly cold, but being alone in the woods at night… The thought naturally made her nervous.

'It'll be okay,' she thought, bringing her arms in to hug herself; her knees were kept close to her chest, making her smaller. The sound of a cricket chirping made her jump. 'I'm sure… It'll all be okay….' Sniffling, the girl shuddered again and allowed her eyes to slowly drift closed. 'Even so, those guys were weird… What did they mean that I was a demon?'

Just as the brunette felt herself dozing off, the sound of careful footsteps caught her attention. Her head jolted up and she squeezed her knees tighter. "Wh-who's there?" She whimpered, eyes widening as a figure came into the clearing.

It was a large creature, with red eyes and a gaping maw of sharp teeth. Thick, viscous drool slid down the teeth, hitting the forest floor with a sickening squelch. Its skin was a mottled green-blue, looking more and more like a corpse the more Kaname looked at it. Thick talons adorned the creature's long fingers; its ribs were visible through the skin. Kaname felt sick just looking at the creature, and it was looking right back at her.

"A human?" It hissed, a deformed smile stretching its mouth. It let out a stuttering laugh and took a jerky step forward. "And a human girl no less…. I thought I had smelled something tasty…."

"A… A demon?" Kaname gasped, shakily pulling herself to her feet. If that's what it was, then the demon was still some ways away from her. If she timed it right, she could probably run. "Stay away from me!"

Of course, it didn't listen. Rather, the demon continued jerking towards her, more and more drool slipping out of its mouth. "Yes, be afraid… It's always the scared ones that taste the best!"

'Taste? No way, it's gonna eat me?'

Jaw seeming to unhinge, the demon let out a roar. A disgustingly slimy, black tongue lolled out of its mouth and even at the distance, Kaname could feel its warm breath. "Just try to run, girl. I'm going to eat you!"

"No!" Kaname felt herself turning before she could even register what she was doing. It was as though her body had been switched to autopilot, trying to remove her from the danger. However, it didn't work; Kaname only felt herself running for a few steps before searing pain erupted in her lower back. Blood splattered the ground as she fell, and a whimper came from her throat. 'That… That's my blood?'

'I don't… Want to die here,' Kaname blinked through the tears, absently hearing the demon laughing loudly. It was right over her at this point, it had to be. 'I want… To go home!' A bright red light that faded into warm nothingness was the last thing she was aware of.

* * *

"Hey, wake up."

Kaname groaned, tiredly shoving the hand that pushed her cheek away. "Michiru, five more minutes…"

"Listen, wake up!"

There was a pause. 'That's not Michiru's voice….' The brunette slowly blinked her eyes open, gasping. 'The demon, where did the demon go?' There was the sound of an exasperated sigh next to her, causing the girl to jump. A boy probably around her age sat next to her, legs and arms crossed. He wore a red outfit that didn't look unlike some of the traditional clothes she and her family wore at festivals. His hair was white and… And he had fluffy dog ears.

Kaname found herself screaming before she could stop herself. A hand flew to her heart and she did her best to scramble away.

"Hey, what are you screaming for?" The boy yelled back, eyes wide.

"D-d-dog ears! You have dog ears and fangs!" Kaname pointed an accusing finger at the boy, feeling tears in her eyes yet again. "Stay away from me!"

"What a pain," the boy groaned out, placing a hand to his forehead. He stood and held a out to the brunette. "Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I was walking through the woods and smelled human blood; got here just in time to see you kill that demon with some strange light. How'd you do that?"

The girl hesitantly took the offered hand, patting the dirt and wrinkles from her skirt as she thought. 'A light… That's right, I was about to die… But that light…'

"Plus, you've got a pretty nasty wound on your lower back. Seems to have stopped bleeding but if you're an actual human we'd better get you to the village quickly."

"Wait, why are you trusting me?" Kaname remembered the men she'd run into earlier. With their torches and weapons, and the screams of how she was a demon… "I don't even know you."

"You've got clothes like Kagome's clothes, which means you come from the present right? Now, let's get going; if any demons show up you can just use that red light again."

"I don't know how!"

With that exclamation, the forest seemed to go quiet. The boy stopped walking, turning to look at her incredulously.

"What do you mean you don't know how?" He asked, crossing his arms again.

Huffing, she stormed forward and poked the boy in the chest. "Listen, I have no idea where I am, and I don't know what caused that red light! I just want to go home, okay? I don't know who this Kagome is, I don't know who you are, and I don't want to answer any questions! Just –"

"If I may, Master Inuyasha."

Kaname jolted at the voice, slapping her fist lightly when the feeling of a mosquito bite startled her. A small, almost humanoid figure groaned in the palm of her hand. "Oh, what a small person…."

"Tch, person? That's just Myoga the flea…" The boy rolled his eyes. Which, if judging from what was just said, she now knew his name. Inuyasha…. How strange…

"'Just', Master Inuyasha? You wound me!" The apparent flea – did that mean this was a demon too; strange but it was the only explanation – seemed to reflate in the palm of Kaname's hand. "How could you be so cruel to your loyal body guard?"

"Can't really be called that when you run at the slightest sign of danger…"

Kaname stifled a giggle, her anxiety feeling as though it were slowly draining away. Demon or not, these two didn't seem that bad.

"A-anyway," Myoga crossed his arms – of which he had four – and turned his attention back to Kaname. "Don't slow Master Inuyasha down, yes? You don't know how to use that light that saved you earlier."

"That's right… I have no clue how it happened…."

"Pain in the ass…" Inuyasha grumbled out.

Myoga nodded slowly, though Kaname wasn't sure if he was agreeing with Inuyasha or not. "You were so afraid for your life, it happened instantly. Master Inuyasha, it would appear that this girl has a strange ability, though she cannot use it just yet. It would be best to take her back to the village, but beyond that I don't know how to proceed."

"Hmph, that was my plan anyway, idiot…"

"Well then," Myoga's voice held a sheepish tone. "I'll be going on ahead. See you soon!"

Inuyasha let out a shout when the flea leaped out of Kaname's hand. "Hey, wait! Damn it, he's run off again…." The boy scratched behind his twitching ears, turning on his heel with a glare seemingly permanent on his face. "Now c'mon; any demons that are around here are small fry, I can handle them no problem."

Kaname adjusted her backpack, surprised it had stayed together through the demon attack. A dull throb of pain shot through her back; although it wasn't bleeding any more, it certainly hurt as though it were still raw. 'Just what's going on,' the girl through, sniffling as she began to follow the white haired boy. 'I don't understand any of this.'

* * *

"Finally, we made it!" Inuyasha exclaimed as they entered the village. The sun was slowly rising in the distance and it seemed as though the village was slowly waking up. Kaname was mostly shocked that she'd apparently been out that long. It couldn't have taken more than thirty minutes to get to the village, meaning she'd been unconscious for the entire night. "Follow me, Kagome should be at Kaede's house."

"W-wait," Kaname stuttered out, looking around the village. People wore kimonos and lead horse drawn carts. The dialect was a tad different than what she was used to even. "Are… Are those horses? Why are there horses?"

"You really scared of a horse?"

The brunette flushed, shifting from foot to foot. "N-no, it's just… That not normal!"

Rolling his eyes, the boy moved to reply, however he was cut off.

"Inuyasha!" A female voice cried, the sound of hurried footsteps getting closer and closer. "Inuyasha, where have you been? There were demons attacking earlier this morning, and we seriously could've used your help." Kaname felt her breath catch; this girl was dressed in a school uniform, just like her! Though she couldn't say she recognized the school the uniform was from. "You're never around when we need you."

"Listen, if you're talking about the small demons in the forest then I already took care of them on the way back."

"Oh really? Wait," the girl peeked around Inuyasha's shoulder, looking at Kaname with a quirked eyebrow. "Who're you?"

Inuyasha grabbed Kaname by the arm and moved her in front of him. Though the grip was gentle, the girl yelped in surprise. "This girl was passed out in the forest, so I decided to help out. She's dressed like you are."

"You're right… And you were in the forest?" Kaname nodded and the other girl sighed. "Then how'd you get here? You're from the present, right?"

"The present? What do you mean? Where is this?" Kaname felt tears fill her eyes again and she cursed herself for crying so much. "My cellphone doesn't work, I can't find my house, and people chased me! I was even attacked by a demon; I didn't think demons actually existed!" Sniffling, the girl shakily wiped her face off.

The other girl reached out, gently placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Are you okay?" When Kaname nodded, the other smiled softly. "That's good. Now, I need you to take a deep breath. You've been through a lot already, but I can promise you'll be safe here."

"Where is here?"

"Feudal Japan."

Kaname snorted.

"I'm serious. This is Japan in the feudal era, during the time of Nobunaga Oda and when guns were first brought here."

"T-then this is the past? But that doesn't make any sense! I was sent to the warehouse to get amulets and fell through the floor; how did I end up here?"

"I don't know; I'm so sorry, but just calm down." The girl placed her other hand on Kaname's free shoulder, offering another smile. "Let's start from the top. My name is Kagome Higurashi, and the guy that brought you here is Inuyasha. This is the village headed by the priestess Kaede."

"My name is Kaname Kururugi…. So, even though this is the feudal era, you're from the present?"

Kagome nodded sharply. "Yup! I'm in junior high."

Kaname finally felt a small smile tugging her face. "Oh, that's great; I'm in junior high too! And you're from Japan? Do…" The brunette fidgeted before continuing, "Do you think you could help me get back home?"

"Geez," Inuyasha sighed, arms crossed behind his head. "I don't know what got into you, but you sure got excited."

Flushing, the teen turned her eyes to the ground. "Sorry, it's just that…"

"Inuyasha, don't be hard on her," Kagome cut in. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "She's been through a lot. Now, Kaname was it? I'm not sure how you got here, but I might know a way for you to get home!"

"Really?" Kaname gaped, practically feeling the sparkle in her eyes. "How? Please, tell me how I can get home!"

"You talking about the well?" Inuyasha asked, brow cocked as he watched Kagome start walking towards the forest.

Kaname hesitated a moment before following the other girl. "The well?" She asked. Looking around as they walked, Kaname was very aware of the eyes of villagers on her. The feudal era, really? Maybe she had just hit her head and-

"Kaname, where did you get that wound?"

And maybe it wasn't all just a dream… Her back still stung from that demon attack, though it didn't feel as painful as before.

"It's healed quite a bit," Inuyasha added, brows furrowed in confusion. "You sure you're a human?"

"Inuyasha, just what kind of question is that?"

Kaname sighed, turned her attention to the forest around her as they walked. In the early morning light, it was truly beautiful; sunlight filtered through the trees, obscured by leaves that shook slightly with a cool breeze. The grass was lush and squished slightly under her feet, a very different sensation when she was so used to the hard feeling of concrete. The brunette took a deep breath, the air feeling light and clean as she took a moment to calm down. Maybe it wasn't so bad that this wasn't a dream…. She had a way to get home now after all, right?

Finally, the trio came to a stop in a rather large clearing. Tall grass blew in the breeze and the sun was bright as it rose. Kaname looked around, taking in the sight of nature before her eyes settled on a dilapidated well. The wood looked old and a bit rotten; there was no way to lower a bucket down it.

"Is this the well you were talking about… Kagome?" She felt bad about the hesitation, but Kaname knew she had never been good with names. She only knew the names of those in her class because she was around them all the time. "How is this going to help me get home?"

Kagome turned and offered a smile, hands clasped behind her back. "Yup, this is the dry well. In the village it's called the Bone Eaters Well, but-"

"It's cause they used to throw the bones of dead demons in it," Inuyasha cut in, looking away sheepishly as Kagome turned to glare at him.

Kaname shuddered, looking back to the well. The village threw dead demons into it? Why would they do that?

"Nothing bad will happen to you, okay, Kaname? This well is how I first came to the feudal era, and it's how I get home."

"R-really?" Kaname shuddered again and moved towards the well, looking down it. It seemed to go on forever, with no light reaching the bottom. She knew, of course, that it couldn't be that deep, but a spike of fear shot through her. Maybe she should be sad this wasn't a dream. If it was a dream, then she wouldn't have to…. "You jump down this?"

"Yup!"

"Just get on with it," Inuyasha's voice came right beside her, startling the girl. Before Kaname could turn to look at the white haired boy, she felt a pressure on her back. The boy shoved her towards the well, causing her to topple over the edge and down it. Her stomach dropped out from under her as she fell, until it all caught up to her.

The moment she hit the bottom of the well. Hard.

"Ow," she groaned, sitting up shakily. Although her back had stopped hurting except for a slight sting, her entire body hurt now. Pain radiated through her backside, where she had hit rather hard. Her shoulders also hurt, as well as her head.

"Kaname, are you okay?" Kagome's voice echoed down the well as she peeked over the side. Her eyes were wide with worry. "Inuyasha, why did you do that?" She hissed, throwing a glare over her shoulder.

"Look, I thought I was helping out, okay?" The boy's voice came floating down the well, sounding far away. "How was I supposed to know the well wouldn't work?"

"You shouldn't just push people around!" The black haired girl shot back, the anger evident in her voice.

Kaname could just barely make out the sound of Inuyasha grumbling before Kagome muttered 'sit'. Following the utterance, the sound of a loud 'thunk' and a yelp of pain could be heard. This then seemed to lead to an argument, something that Kaname could infer as happening quite a bit.

'Won't someone help me out of here?' The brunette thought, sighing heavily and allowing herself to rest against the packed dirt of the well's bottom.

* * *

A/N: Hey, I said this would come out faster, right? And I also said that the dialogue would be choppy, right? I'm hoping that gets better as I go, but the original game was pretty choppy honestly. So, just consider it a more accurate story experience!

By the way, this fanfic will cover the entire game, along with one of the available endings.

Edit, 4/1/18: Made minor edits, added a few lines


	3. Chapter 2

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 2 – Unable to Return Home?

"I'm so sorry about that, Kaname…" Kagome held an apologetic look as she helped pull Kaname over the lip of the well, pulling the rope ladder up as well. "I don't know why it didn't work."

"It's fine, Kagome," the brunette returned, trying her best to smile. In truth, she felt like crying again. She had wanted to believe Kagome could get her home; she'd wanted to believe she could wake up from this dream that was slowly turning to a nightmare. "I- I'm sure there's another way… Somehow."

"Let's just take her to Kaede," Inuyasha offered, a small red mark still visible on his head. Kaname didn't understand how, but he'd hit his head hard enough to leave a mark while she was down the well. "She nags me all the time, but she might be able to help."

Kagome grinned at the boy and nodded. "You know, Inuyasha, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were worried about Kaname."

"Feh," the boy scoffed. "As if. I just want her out of our hair before we have to leave again."

Kaname giggled quietly, the friendly banter the two shared lifting her spirits. "Who is Kaede?"

"Oh, she's the head priestess of this village. They don't have a headman, since the village is so small, so she pretty much takes care of everything here," Kagome replied. "She's old, but very strong and smart. She helped me a lot when I first arrived in the feudal era."

"I see," Kaname nodded to herself, steeling her resolve. "Okay, let's go talk to Kaede."

* * *

The whispering of the villagers was a bit frustrating. Kaname could hear things such as 'is that one of Lady Kagome's friends' and 'what strange clothing.' The brunette sighed, practically feeling herself deflate. She was really starting to feel tired, not only from the fall down the well but also from the demon attack hours earlier. She might have been unconscious, but she certainly didn't feel well rested.

"All right," Kagome stopped in front of a small hut-like house. It didn't look any different than the others they had passed already, so for a moment Kaname was confused. "This is where Kaede lives. Even though she helps run the village, her home looks like all the others." The dark haired girl giggled at the brunette's confusion for a moment.

"Kagome, you're back!"

Kaname jumped in shock, watching as a girl that looked just like Kagome walk out of the hut. Right down to the haircut and school uniform, they looked exactly alike. "Kagome, you have a twin? You didn't say anything before…"

"Shippo, stop it," Kagome sighed.

"Twin?" The Kagome look alike asked, coking her head to the side. "We're not twins."

"I said, stop it Shippo…"

Kaname looked between the two girls. "Um, I'm not sure I understand…"

"Cut it out Shippo," Inuyasha glared, moving to roll up his sleeves. The second Kagome yelped and seemed to go up in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Kagome was the only one left and beside her stood a short little boy with orange hair. He quickly moved to hide behind Kagome's leg, sticking his tongue out at Inuyasha.

"W-what? Why did… How-" Kaname cut herself off and massaged her temples. "What just happened?"

The orange haired boy poked his head around Kagome's leg. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just practicing the art of Transformation. I can use it to change my form."

Kaname squatted down, observing the boy. He, like Inuyasha, had slight animal features. His legs looked like the paws of a dog or fox, and his ears were slightly pointed. A fluffy tail stuck out of the back of his pants even. "I'm not sure I understand, but that's okay. I take it you're a demon like Inuyasha? You're just a kid though."

"I'm not a kid!" The boy shouted, jumping out from behind Kagome's legs. Both girls giggled. "I'm a respectable adult!"

"Look, are we gonna talk to Kaede or not?"

"Huh? What're you guys wanting to talk to Kaede about?"

Kaname stood again and brushed the dirt from her skirt. "We're hoping she might have an idea for how to get me home."

Shippo's eyes widened. "Get you home? I thought you were Kagome's friend that came from the well!"

"I wish it were that simple…" The brunette muttered, jumping slightly as Kagome grabbed her hand. "Huh?"

"It's okay," the dark haired girl smiled brightly, tugging Kaname gently towards the hut. "I'm sure Kaede will have some idea!"

* * *

"I'm afraid I don't have any idea on how to help ye."

Kaede was an older woman, shoulders hunched with age and face covered in wrinkles. Her long grey hair was kept in a low ponytail, and an eyepatch was over her left eye. Kaname wondered when she had suffered a wound to cause the need for it, but she tried her best not to stare. The woman also wore the traditional red hakama and white haori of a priestess. She seemed to give off a calming aura, like a kindly grandmother. Kaname could certainly see why Kagome had wanted her to meet the priestess.

But it seemed that, as the bone eaters well had failed, Kaede had no clue how to help Kaname get back to her own time.

They all sat on the hut's raised floor, gathered around a low crackling fireplace over which a pot sat. Kaname and Kagome sat on the floor along with Kaede, with Shippo sitting in Kagome's lap. Inuyasha was slightly removed from the others, standing against the closest wall with his arms crossed.

"You mean… There's no way I can get home?"

"Now," the older woman began, keeping her eye on the small fire burning in the hut's fireplace. "I'm a certain there is another way for ye to return home; however, I know it not. If the bone eater's well did not work, I am afraid I know nothing else."

Kaname sighed heavily and nodded, almost defeated. She swallowed heavily as tears finally began to roll down her cheeks. After wanting to cry for so long, the tears finally came and refused to stop. "I'm sorry," she muttered, rubbing at her face as Kagome gasped in worry. "I'm sorry but I can't stop crying."

"Cry all you want," Inuyasha said from his place leaning against the wall. "But that's not gonna take you home."

"Inuyasha," Kagome exclaimed, turning to look at the boy. "Don't be so rude! Can't you see –"

Kaname shook her head, placing a hand on Kagome's knee to stop her from standing. "No," she sniffled. "He's right, Kagome. Me crying won't help anything."

Inuyasha sighed exasperatedly. "Look, I'm serious, you can cry as much as you want, just know that you'll need to do something if you want to get home."

"I see," Kagome smiled softly. "So that's what you meant."

"In that case," Kaede spoke up, poking at the fire with a poker. "I suggest that Kaname here travel with you, Inuyasha. After all, she won't find much else here in the village."

"Now hold on-"

"I wouldn't want to be a bother!"

Shippo jumped from Kagome's lap. "Kaede's right though! Maybe we should travel to nearby villages to look around at!"

Kagome stood as well, straightening out her skirt. "Shippo is right. There might be a bone eater's well near where you woke up; and the nearest village is called Akebi, not far from here. It's a bit dangerous, but maybe you'll recognize some things from around there."

Kaname looked up at the other girl, still feeling the tears rolling down her face. "You mean, you'll go with me?"

"Can't have you on your own; it's dangerous outside of most villages."

"Yeah," Shippo piped up. "Demons might attack you even when you're right outside the village!"

"If she's our problem now, let's get going as soon as we can. It'd do us no good to stick around here," Inuyasha pushed himself off the wall, making his way towards the doorway. "C'mon, let's get going."

As the two girls began to follow the boy, Kaede called after them. "Be cautious, you four. The way is indeed dangerous; it would be best if ye took the safest route available."

Kaname nodded and bowed in thanks, quickly following after the other three. By now the sun was midway through the sky, showing it to be sometime in the afternoon. As they began leaving the village, Kaname sighed heavily. Her family must have been so worried. Even Michiru, who teased her as mercilessly as she teased him, would be worried with her having so suddenly disappeared.

But she still wanted to trust everyone. So, there just had to be a way for her to get home in Akebi. She must have woken up some place between Kaede's village and Akebi, so there just had to be something. There had to be a way home in Akebi Village.

* * *

It had taken a day to arrive in Akebi. The others had been correct in that it was a dangerous journey; demons had attacked near constantly, much to Inuyasha's annoyance. He was still grumbling as they walked into the village entrance.

Kaname sighed heavily, fiddling with the sleeves of the shirt Kagome had lent her. Since her uniform shirt was ruined, the other girl had given her a turtleneck to wear instead. The brunette was tired and ready to sleep under a roof again; she had been woken up several times in the past night from bugs crawling all over her.

Or, at least, it had felt like that.

A shudder ran through her as she thought about it again. 'Ugh, and I haven't taken a bath…' She sighed again, yelping as she bumped into Inuyasha.

"Watch it," the boy scolded, going back to sniffing the air.

"Guess he smells something," Shippo said, offering a shrug.

Kagome adjusted her backpack and surveyed the village entrance as well. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

Sniffing violently, really like a dog, the white haired boy whipped his head around. "A demon…. A strong demon has been here recently."

"W-what?" Kaname stuttered, thinking back to the several demons. Those had apparently been weak, if the boy's words now were any hint. "A strong demon… Does that mean it's different from the others?"

"Think it has a jewel shard?"

"I'm not sure, you're the one that would be able to tell, right?"

Kagome huffed quietly, although a good-natured smile was on her face. It was obvious that the boy's harsh words were just a joke. Perhaps all of his jokes were sarcastic; if so, Kaname knew what to expect now.

"What jewel?" Kaname asked, head cocked.

"We'll explain later, okay?" Kagome replied, grabbing the girl lightly on the hand. "Right now, let's get to looking around and finding you a way home!"

Kaname stuttered out an 'okay' and allowed herself to be pulled along. She looked around the village as they walked. Trees covered most of the landscape; after questioning a few villagers, they found out it was both a logging and mining town. Charcoal from the village was sought around the area, and the lumber from the village was rather strong, according to the villagers. A few villagers watched them walk past with nervous glances, whispering to one another.

Kaname had never really felt so much like an outsider than in this time.

"Hey," Inuyasha's voice snapped the girl from her thoughts. "Anything or anyone look familiar?"

"Well… The trees, I guess." Kaname shrugged lightly, offering an apologetic smile. "There were a ton of trees where I woke up, but there are trees all over the place so I'm not sure. These types of trees are more similar though."

Shippo applauded from his place in Kagome's arms. "That means we're on the right track!"

"That's right," Kagome smiled gently, obviously happy for the other girl. "I bet we'll find some clues somewhere around here. You said you were chased by people, right? They're probably from this village."

"Thanks, guys," Kaname laughed quietly. These people barely knew her, yet they were putting forth so much effort to help her.

"Hey, demons!"

A male voice startled the group, causing them to look for where it came from. A young man with an angry face stormed up to them, pointing a finger in Inuyasha's face.

"Are you from the temple?"

The boy wasn't fazed, looking down his nose and the hunched over man. He quirked a brow before rolling his eyes. "What temple?" He growled out, cracking his knuckles.

Yelping, the man jumped back. "Ah… The old temple outside the village… Demons have been coming from it recently…." Looking over them again, the man laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Though, now that I get a good look at ya, none of you look like the demons that come here. Specially not that spider demon… Ah, sorry folks!" With that, the man scurried off, obviously eager to get away from the small group.

"A spider demon?" Kaname shuddered, shaking her head as though to clear her thoughts. "Ugh, don't even want to think about that."

'But,' the girl thought, following the others as they continued through the village. 'That demon Inuyasha smelled… Could it be the spider demon?'

* * *

"A well?"

"Yes," Kaname held back a groan and foot stomp, having repeated her question at least five times. "Is there any well, possibly dry, near this village?"

The older man hummed to himself, tapping his chin. "Nope," he answered at length. "Not that I can think of."

Kaname felt her shoulders sag as she finally allowed herself to groan. An embarrassingly loud sound of displeasure fell from her mouth; her cheeks flushed as she stood up straight again. "Thank you, sir…"

"Oh, wait!" The old man tapped his chin again as he looked for the right words. "You're lookin for somethin' spiritual, right? Dry wells are said to be sacred in some places… Go talk to Kakaju at the river. He's passing through, just like you, but might know something."

"I see…" The brunette nodded to herself, turning on her heel. "Thank you, sir!" She yelled over her shoulder, heading off in search of the others. They had split up earlier to cover more ground. However, this Kakaju man sounded like a strong enough lead that she felt she needed to gather the others before looking for him.

Kaname wandered around town, searching for the others. The lack of humming from machinery was still rather jarring, and all she could hear was the milling of people and the cry of birds. It was still a bit frightening, reminding her that she was so far from home, but at the same time comforting. It was quiet and peaceful.

"Kaname!"

"Oh, Kagome! Inuyasha and Shippo, too!" The brunette jumped, watching the three hurry towards her. "Did you guys find something?"

Kagome shook her head. "Not exactly, but-"

"A giant spider has been terrorizing the village!" Shippo cut in, waving his arms about. "A logger tried to scare Kagome talking about it, but exaggeration or not it sounds really scary."

"A giant spider?"

Inuyasha scoffed, arms crossed as usual. "It's probably just an overgrown demon living in the woods. What about you? We're here for that after all."

Kaname nodded slowly, banishing the thought of a giant spider demon from her head. "An old man told me too look for a priest named Kakaju. He might know something about how to get me home… Or at least about any dry wells in the area." The last bit was added with a small laugh. "The old man said he should be at the river."

"Good, finally some leads," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Let's go find this Kakaju then," Kagome smiled, taking Kaname by the elbow. "The river, right?"

* * *

A/N: Second Chapter! Oh man it's hard to find a place to end these chapters. I could probably make them longer, but shorter chapters are more my style if that makes sense!

Also, I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I am writing these chapters in class when I'm bored mostly orz

The life of a college student is a rough one

Edit, 4/1/18: Made small edits


	4. Chapter 3

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha – A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 3 – Demon Spider of the Old Temple

The river the old man had talked about cut right across the boarder of the village, connecting it to the forests the loggers worked in. It added to the peaceful sounds of the village although the all but demolished houses dotting the tree line took a bit away from that. They looked as though something had slammed into them, then afterwards something else had charred the wood. Kaname shuddered at the thought of what had happened to the people living there.

"This is terrible…" Shippo muttered, clinging harder to Kaname. The brunette had been mildly shocked when the small fox demon had wanted to be carried by her rather than Kagome. "Think this is because of that spider demon?"

"Ugh, I don't wanna think about it," Kagome shivered, cringing slightly. "But it's most likely…."

"Look, we're here for the girl, right? Not some demon."

'So cold,' Kaname thought with a sigh, adjusting her grip on Shippo. But, it wasn't like she really knew these people, right? Inuyasha had been nice enough to her so far, but maybe he was just a cold, sarcastic person. "The old man said Kakaju should be around here somewhere… But he didn't say what he looked like."

"Well," Kagome started, a small smile on her face. "This place is deserted enough that-"

A rustling from the leaves startled the two girls, cutting Kagome off and causing Kaname to yelp. Even Shippo stifled a whimper of fright at the sudden noise. Inuyasha placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, dropping in to a fighting stance. However, nothing like a demon came out of the dense trees. Instead, a heavily aged man shambled out of the forest, walking stick bumping along the ground.

"Oh, it's just an old man," Kagome breathed out, the relief evident in her voice.

"Um," Kaname stepped towards the man, jumping as Shippo crawled around to sit on her shoulder, hiding behind her head a bit. "Excuse me, sir, but are you Kakaju?"

The old man hummed in recognition, cocking his head to the side. "I am indeed, though I don't know why you are looking for me. Your voice sounds young, and yet…"

"One of the villagers said you know about spiritual things," Kaname continued, handing Shippo off to Kagome before stepping forward. "I'm looking for a dry well around here? You see, I was brought here against my will and wish to go home…."

"Against your will? You mean you're not from around here?"

Shippo cleared his throat, puffing himself up. "Can't you tell from the clothes?"

Kakaju shook his head, sighing heavily. "I'm afraid not. You see, I'm quite old and my eyes don't work the same as they used to. I can't tell what any of you are wearing or even what you actually look like."

The fox demon shrunk into himself again, muttering an 'oh.'

"But it's alright," Kakaju continued, a gentle smile on his face. "May I know your name, child?"

"Oh, it's Kaname Ku-"

"Look, old man," Inuyasha cut in, stepping in front of Kaname as though to protect her. From what, the brunette didn't know. "We're here for one thing. Don't know why you gotta know our names to answer her questions."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed. "He's just an old man, calm down!"

Kakaju chuckled heartily, leaning heavily on his cane as he shook his head. "Oh, dear, you're a spirited one, aren't you, young man?" Slowly ceasing to laugh, the old man straightened up and nodded to himself. "I understand where you are coming from, though. I suppose that I do not need to know your names; your voices will be enough. Although, the one who needs my help is Kaname, correct?"

Kaname poked her head around Inuyasha's shoulder and nodded. "Ah," she started when she remembered the man was apparently blind. "Oh, I mean, yes, sir! Do you think you could help me?"

"I'm sorry," Kakaju returned, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I cannot." When the girl sighed he held up a hand, continuing, "However, Kaname, I sense a power within you…. Could you come closer?"

"Um…" Kaname looked at the others, who all looked a bit worried. Surprisingly, even Inuyasha looked a bit worried. Steeling herself, the brunette nodded and walking towards the man. "I'm here," she announced once she was standing next to him.

The old man smiled and held out his hand. "Take my hand, please. Close your eyes and be still."

Kaname did as she was instructed, breathing slowly. She could feel the eyes of the others on her, their concern almost palpable. However, after a moment, that all seemed to fade. The world shrunk to her hand connected to Kakaju's, the sound of their breathing, and a flickering light in her mind's eye. The light was strange yet comforting. Somehow, it felt safe and warm, as though it would be able to protect her from anything and everything. In her mind, the teen slowly reached for the fire-like light, gasping as she touched it. The light shot in to her body, filling her with warmth. In the real world, the others gasped loudly as the brunette was engulfed in a strange red light that flickered like fire before quickly dispersing.

Kaname's eyes shot open and a hand flew to rest over her chest. "W-what?"

"Woah, that was so cool!" Shippo exclaimed. "What was that red light?"

"Just like in the forest," Inuyasha grinned sharply. "See, I knew you could do it!"

Kakaju nodded slowly, a gentle smile on his face. His hair covered his eyes, but Kaname could imagine them crinkling at the corners. "It's just as I thought. You, my child, possess the power of Shikigami. It is the life force found in all things, and it will protect you." Turning away from the girl, the man motioned towards a large, almost green boulder on the lake shore. "Try using the power of Shikigami to destroy that rock? It's Serpentine rock, and it reacts with Shikigami."

"Um… Alright," Kaname nodded slowly, brows furrowed in confusion. She didn't really understand, but that light had felt safe. If that was Shikigami, then maybe she could actually have a way to defend herself. She hated feeling like a weight to Inuyasha and the others. So, squaring her shoulders, she walked over to the rock and placed her hands on it. It felt slightly scaly and cold, a dampness clung to the rock's surface from the lake. Kaname slowly shut her eyes and took a deep breath, that fire materializing behind her eyes.

"Shikigami," she murmured. "Head the sound of my call." The words seemed to come unbidden, coming without her conscious thought. She opened her eyes and gasped as she saw herself covered in flame that didn't burn. The fire then traveled through her arm into her palm, spreading over the serpentine which began to crack. Suddenly, the rock shattered into pieces.

Everyone yelped and ducked from the shrapnel, save for Kakaju. He simply batted the shards of rock away with his cane. A small chuckle came from the elderly man.

"Good work, my dear," he laughed, a pleased smile crossing his face. "You truly possess the potential to be a strong Shikigami master."

Inuyasha scoffed and looked away. "Not like I couldn't do the same thing."

"You can't start swinging Tessaiga around here," Kagome yelped, quickly placing her hand over Inuyasha's, which had started reaching for his sword. "Stop trying to show off, that was really impressive."

"Sure…." Inuyasha grumbled.

Kakaju laughed again, turning to where he most likely assumed Kaname to be standing. "Now, as I said before, that is all I am able to do for you, Kaname. You are searching for something I cannot help with."

The brunette nodded sharply. "I understand. Thank you so much though, Kakaju."

"Let's get going, yeah?" Kagome grinned. "Maybe we can find someone that knows something if we look around one more time."

With that, the others all turned to leave. Kaname hesitated a moment, looking back at the old man. His attention was on the river, a far off look on his face. "Ah," the girl started, biting her lip. "Goodbye, sir."

"Yes," Kakaju returned, not turning away from the river. He looked sad, almost, surrounded by the decay of the demolished part of the village. Sad and small; Kaname felt bad for him. "I'm sure we will meet again… And, with that…"

Kaname waited a moment longer, but Kakaju said nothing more. So, with a sad smile, the girl turned on her heel and hurried after the others.

* * *

"This is useless," Shippo sighed, hanging his head. "No one here recognizes you, Kaname." The small fox demon looked up from his position in the girl's arms, a small pout on his face.

"I know…." The brunette sighed as well, shoulders sagging. "You'd think…."

"Was there no one around when you first showed up in this time?" Kagome asked, looking troubled.

Kaname thought for a moment, tracing her time back to those first few hours. Yes, before the demon attack, there had been that group of men. Farm tools as weapons and torches in their hands, calling her a demon. "Yes, there was a group of people that chased me for a while… They obviously weren't in Kaede's village, but I haven't seen them here either."

"Or they haven't seen you," Inuyasha commented, eyes narrowed at something over Kaname's shoulder.

Humming in question, the girl looked over her shoulder and gasped. A man with fury painted over his face was storming towards them. Though he lacked the torch and farm tool, Kaname recognized him. He had been one of the men the other night, the one that had screamed about his daughter.

"So, you've come back, have you demon?" The man snarled. "Everyone, the demon has returned!" He called out. Within moments a group of men and even some women had gathered around him.

Kaname yelped as she was shoved behind Inuyasha, the boy dropping into a fighting stance. "You guys looking for a fight?"

Kagome lunged forward, placing her hand over Inuyasha's. They both held on to the hilt of Tessaiga and glared for a moment at one another. "Stop it! These are humans, you can't fight them." Once the boy relented, the girl turned her attention to the crowd of villagers. "Listen, this girl is not a demon."

"But the strange clothes!" A teenage girl cried out, clinging to a young man.

"Yes, she and yourself look suspicious!"

"And you're traveling with two demons!"

Kagome chuckled nervously but stood straighter. "But we are not demons, I promise! Look at us, beyond the clothes! We don't look like demons, huh?"

The man that had called the others stepped forward, looking at both Kagome and Kaname. His eyes were narrowed, and he hummed as he looked over them. "I… Oh goodness, you're not demons."

Inuyasha snorted. "Finally, you realize."

"Everyone," the man turned to the villagers. "These girls are human!" A murmur went up from the crowd and they slowly dispersed. Sighing, the man turned back to the four. "I am so sorry. My name is Gosuke, and I'm afraid I was so worked up I mistook you for a demon." He bowed in apology toward Kaname.

Kaname stepped around Inuyasha and bowed in return. "It's all right. May I ask what you and the villagers were all worked up about?"

Gosuke straightened up and nodded. "I'm sure if you've been asking around the village, you've heard about the giant spider demon?" When the group nodded, the man continued, "Well, demons didn't always attack our village. But recently, the spider demon has started coming from the temple and attacking the villagers. He takes one or two, and they're never seen again."

A young woman walked up and bowed as well. "My father speaks the truth… Two days ago, the giant spider demon came and took my younger sister. Her name is Sachi and she's only six summers… We fear the worst."

"Oh no," Kaname breathed, watching as the young woman began to sniffle and burry her head in her father's shoulder. "We… We have to help them."

"Yes, but-"

Gosuke heaved a sigh, cutting Kagome off. He squared his shoulders. "I'll just have to go to the old forest temple myself and try to kill the demon… It's the only place she could be."

As the man's daughter began pleading for him not to go, Inuyasha groaned and shook his head. "Nothing to do about it, huh?" Kaname gasped, fearing the boy would suggest they leave the village. "Guess we're gonna go exterminate a spider."

"Inuyasha, you-" Kagome cut herself off and hid a gentle smile behind her hand.

"There's a shock," Shippo muttered to Kaname.

Shrugging and crossing his arms, Inuyasha began walking towards the village exit. No doubt he wanted to start leaving for the temple already. "Look, no doubt it's just an overgrown demon that's been hiding out in the temple. It'll be easy to take care of, so let's get going."

"I guess he is kind," Kaname muttered, jumping slightly when Kagome nodded.

"He is, but he hides it…" She returned, moving to follow the boy. "Come on, or he'll get mad that we're being slow!"

* * *

The woods seem to grow thicker as they followed the trail to the old temple. According to last minute information from Gosuke, the temple had been abandoned for years due to a demon infestation that no priest could completely drive out. Due to that and its distance from the village, no one had been there in some time. It lay deep in the forest, in the mountains that surrounded the village.

An oppressive fog hung over the group as they made their way through the forest. No demons attacked them as they had on the way to Akebi, which was rather strange. Rather, the forest seemed almost too quiet. Kaname shuddered and held Shippo a bit tighter; the young fox demon was shivering too, though the brunette doubted he'd admit it. The dirt crunched beneath their feet. Kaname saw both Inuyasha and Kagome tense as though an enemy were drawing near.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

Shippo turned to look at her as she spoke, a sympathetic look on his face. "It'll be all right," he offered. "Inuyasha is real strong, plus you've got that weird light thing, remember? Didn't you kill a demon with it before?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know what I was doing then…"

"It'll be fine!" The fox grinned. "Just remember the feeling of using it, and use it to protect everyone, including yourself!"

Kaname grinned back, chuckling slightly. Her nerves still clung to her like a shroud, but she felt a bit lighter now. "Is that what you do, Shippo?" She chuckled again as the boy began stuttering, obviously flustered.

'I can do this…' The girl thought. 'I won't slow the others down any more, especially since they're doing this to help me…'

Nodding sharply, Kaname took a deep breath and raised her head again. However, a gasp tore itself from her throat as she saw just where they'd be going to look for that spider demon.

* * *

A/N: Oh boy I am dreading the next chapter. To be honest I always hated playing the Old Temple level as a child. And now I hate writing action sequences, so the next chapter might take a while to be completed.

However, I am determined to keep trucking with this fanfic. Hopefully once summer hits I will also pick up the JJBA fanfic as well.


	5. Chapter 4

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha – A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 4 – The Strange Power of the Shikigami

Kaname gulped as she looked up at the temple, shivering in the suddenly cold breeze that blew past. In her arms, Shippo shuddered as well, whimpering slightly. The temple seemed to be in good condition, none of the wood had collapsed yet, but a heavy air hung around the structure. The mist that had fallen obscured the temple from view, and an oppressive darkness seemed to reach out from the temple entrance.

"Ergh," Kagome muttered, shivering. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Me too," Kaname nodded sympathetically. "Looks just like the place you'd imagine a giant spider demon to live."

Inuyasha scoffed and quickly climbed the steps up to the temple entrance. "Look, it's just a building, right? Let's get going. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can leave."

"It's hard to tell when he's trying to be nice," Shippo deadpanned. "Well, let's go," he urged, making no move to jump out of Kaname's arms.

"Right…" Kaname replied, hesitantly beginning up the steps. Kagome followed after her, the two girls sticking close together. With Inuyasha leading the way, the party slowly began making their way through the temple. Surprisingly, a few candles still burned in a few of the rooms, looking as though they had been lit recently.

Shippo having jumped out of her arms a moment ago, Kaname was free to pick up a slip of parchment on a desk they passed. It was written quickly, as though one were trying to write their thoughts down before running. With the fact that demons apparently took up residence here, it wasn't a surprise that someone would be in such a hurry to leave.

 _I entered this temple in order to rest for the night,_ the letter read. _An abandoned building in the mountains, the perfect place for a quick rest. However, I was unaware of the demons that lived here. They have yet to find me, but I am afraid I have witnessed something I should have never seen. On the second floor of this temple there is a priest, but he is not human. On my first survey of the temple, I witnessed this priest devouring smaller demons. The display was grotesque, and I was filled with dread. Surely this priest is a powerful demon, and I must leave quickly. If not for the storm outside I would have left already. I am in fear for my life._

Kaname shuddered and placed the paper back on the desk. Could that priest have been the spider demon? The letter didn't mention just how the priest had been eating the demons, but the girl's brain was on overdrive thinking over all the ways it might have. If it were the spider demon, it probably involved a web of sorts.

"Ergh," the girl shuddered again, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Stop it," she muttered to herself, turning away from the desk. However, as soon as she did so, her stomach dropped. The others were gone.

"Inuyasha?" She said, voice quiet in fright. "K-kagome? Shippo?" Whimpering, the girl hunched over and wrapped her arms around herself. "Where did they go?"

A creaking noise startled her, causing the girl to stumble away from the desk. Moments later, the wood shattered as a demon burst through the floor. Kaname yelped and ducked behind a broken rice paper door.

'Of course, there's a demon when I'm alone,' she thought with a groan. 'But… I can do this. If I can use Shikigami to break rocks, I can use it to attack demons. Just like in the forest.' Nodding to herself, the girl jumped out from behind the door and shut her eyes.

Hands clasped before her, the girl focused on the feeling of that safe light. Behind her eyelids a red flame flickered and Kaname focused on that rather than the demon looming over her. "Oh, flame burning bright," she called, eyes snapping open. "Heed the words of my call!"

Just like it had with the rock, the flame shot from her hand to the target. The demon howled in shock, stumbling backwards. However, the triumphant feeling Kaname felt was quickly dashed. The demon batted the flame away and glared at her, hissing.

"Oh no," she whimpered, slowly backing away. 'I guess it wasn't strong enough!'

"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" A familiar voice cried, the demon falling dead. Blood splattered from the cuts, coating Kaname in thick demon blood.

Kagome hurried in to the room as Inuyasha landed. The attack had apparently been a leap that had landed him nearly on top of the ceiling high demon. "Oh, Kaname, are you all right?"

"You suddenly disappeared, and we got worried!"

Kaname nodded, trying to shake off some of the blood. "I'm fine; none of this blood is mine!"

Inuyasha didn't look at her, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "That red light didn't work."

"Yeah, I guess it's just not strong enough…." Kaname sighed. "And, thanks, Inuyasha. I would've been a goner!" She quickly grinned despite the blood, ready to express her gratitude and change the topic.

"Hmph, yeah, don't mention it," the boy returned with a huff. "Guess that light's only good for breaking rocks. That demon you killed with it must've been a fluke."

Shrinking, the girl fiddled with her fingers before nodding. "Yeah, I guess so!" She giggled self depreciatingly. "Ah, did you guys find anything?"

"Yes, a staircase!" Kagome motioned towards the hall. "It's down a ways, but it looks like it goes to the second floor of the temple."

Kaname thought back to the letter, which had been destroyed in the fight with the demon. "Well, let's get going," she said, cringing as she moved. The blood was beginning to dry and crack on her; it felt disgusting.

* * *

Due to the blood, Shippo stayed in Kagome's arms as they continued through the temple. Kagome offered an apologetic look about the situation, but Kaname offered a smile and shook her head. Really, it wasn't that bad, especially when she knew Kagome had another change of clothes in her bag. If anything, she felt worse about ruining Kagome's turtleneck.

The second floor of the temple was much worse for wear than the first. The ceiling had collapsed in places, blocking off at least one hallway. However, it looked like a more recent destruction, not something that had happened years ago.

"T-the only place left is the priest's chamber," Shippo stuttered, a note of fear in his voice.

"Then that's where we'll find our spider demon," Inuyasha smirked, cracking his knuckles loudly. "You guys stay back, I can get this done quick." And, with that, the boy threw open the door and rushed in.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome called, sighing as the boy disappeared in to the second room.

Shippo hopped out of Kagome's arms and shook his head as though trying to be sagely. "There he goes again, always rushing in without thinking!"

Taking a breath and relaxing, Kagome hummed in thought for a moment. "It's just because he cares. He doesn't want us to get hurt, so he went on ahead…."

"Hmph, doesn't seem like that to me."

Kaname looked at Kagome's face and smiled. The other girl's eyes were soft with affection as she thought of Inuyasha. She'd seen the same look on other girl's faces at school, her friends in relationships that Yuka had rattled off. 'I hope he likes her back,' she thought wistfully, turning her attention to the nearby wall. She didn't want to stare.

"Wait," Kagome gasped, stepping forward towards the room. "I sense a shard of the Shikon Jewel!" She quickly adjusted the quiver of arrows and backpack she carried and turned to Shippo. "Come on, we have to go help him!"

"W-what's the Shikon Jewel?" Kaname asked, startled by the sudden alarm.

"It's a jewel that makes demons more powerful," Shippo explained, shifting around nervously. "If the spider demon has one, then Inuyasha is in trouble!"

Kaname gasped, stepping to follow the others as they prepared to go help the boy.

Kagome shook her head. "Kaname, it'd be safer if you stayed here. I'm afraid the demon might be too strong, and you'd get hurt!"

"O-oh…." Kaname muttered, drawing back in to herself. Shaking her head, the girl looked towards the others and quickly nodded. "Okay, I'll wait here."

And, with that, the two ran off, leaving the girl on her own.

Shivering slightly, Kaname sat against the nearby wall and sunk down it. The blood she'd been splattered with earlier had dried completely, leaving her a tacky, bloody smelling mess. She couldn't wait until they returned to the village. Surely there was an inn or a household that had a bath….

The minutes passed slowly, each second gnawing at the girl. She was beginning to get worried about everyone. Hadn't Inuyasha said it wouldn't take that long to kill the spider demon? But, then again, Kagome had mentioned that that sacred jewel would make a demon more powerful. But, it couldn't make them that much stronger…. Inuyasha and the others were so strong already, so why was it taking so long?

Sighing, Kaname pushed herself back up. 'I have to go check,' she thought, clenching a fist and holding it close to her chest. Steeling herself, the girl began making her way to the priest's chamber. The door was shut, but she could see the slight flicker of a few candles beyond the rice paper. This door was in startlingly better condition than the other doors in the temple.

Kaname gulped and moved to open the door. It slid open easily, revealing a battle inside. Everyone but Inuyasha was completely immobilized by a white spider's web; the dog-eared boy had only his right arm free of the web. He slashed wildly at the web strands, which were coming from the figure of a middle-aged man. However, the man's head had split open into the chelicerae of a spider; the web was coming out of its mouth in a grotesque display. Kaname gasped loudly at the sight, flinching as this caused attention to turn to her.

"I see, so there was another of you?"

Inuyasha began clawing more frantically, struggling to remove himself from the web. "Get out of here, Kaname! You can't do anything!"

The brunette looked around, not seeing Kagome or Shippo anywhere. Her eyes widened as she saw Kagome's hand laying limp on the ground close by the door. It was highly probable that both had already been trapped completely in the web. "B-but you and the others," she stuttered out, returning her attention to the spider demon. She didn't want to remove her attention for too long in case it decided to attack.

The demon chuckled, "So you want to die too?" Moving to get up, the demon seemed unnatural in its movements. With a body mostly grotesque demon, the human parts seemed strange and like they didn't belong. "I'll be happy to oblige you… I'll eat you and drink your blood!"

"Just leave!" Inuyasha snarled, struggling even more. With the spider's attention away from spinning a web, the boy was able to struggle more. However, he was still unable to free himself.

Kaname stepped back, looking around the room frantically. There had to be something that she could do! A slight sparkle caught her eye and the girl inwardly grinned. 'Serpentine rock? Oh, I'm so lucky!'

Clasping her hands, the girl muttered a slight prayer in hopes that this could work. "Oh flame, burning bright," she intoned, blocking the sound of the spider demon's approach from her mind. "Head the sound of my call!" Mentally, she added, 'please save my friends.'

The flame-like light shot from her palm, reacting with the serpentine rock in the ceiling. In the slight delay, the spider demon laughed mockingly and moved closer.

"Run away, damn it! Why aren't you listening?"

And, with that, the rock just… Exploded. Shrapnel flew everywhere, shredding the spider's web and blowing a hole in the ceiling. The demon howled in anger as he, too, was pelted with the rock shards. Thankfully, it didn't seem to hurt the others; Kagome and Shippo celebrated as they forced their way free of the web. Inuyasha seemed shocked, but happy as well. The spider demon quickly began pulling itself from the rubble of the ceiling, but it seemed as though the entire rock hadn't exploded, as part of its body was trapped under a small boulder.

"You fools!" It howled, struggling to get free from the serpentine rock. "I will drink everyone's blood!" Slowly, the demon's body began to morph. It looked as though the demon was shedding the last of the human parts. It morphed, and the skin seemed to bubble before flaking off.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called.

The girl nodded and pulled herself in to a sitting position. She pulled the bow and an arrow from the quiver, notching it. "Got it," she returned, closing one eye to focus her aim. "Hit the mark…." Kagome muttered.

The arrow tore through the air, leaving a bright pink, almost sparkling trail in its wake. It hit the spider demon directly in the forehead, causing the demon to shriek. The demon seemed to dissolve almost, turning to dust. A large pile of the dust was left on the ground, a shining shard of a jewel laying atop it.

"Wow, Kagome," Kaname breathed, eyes wide. "What was that?"

Shippo shook the remains of the spider web from his hair and jumped to cling to Kaname's shoulder. "Kagome has the power of a priestess! It lets her purify demons with her arrows."

"Cool!" Kaname exclaimed, grinning at the suddenly bashful Kagome. "All of you are so impressive! … I hope I'm not slowing you down…."

Inuyasha scoffed, still brushing strands of web off of himself. "If you hadn't destroyed that rock, we wouldn't have made it. Stop selling yourself short, all right?"

Kaname giggled self-consciously, nodding regardless. "Is there anything here of Densuke's daughter?" She muttered with a small gasp. That was the reason they'd come here after all. Even if she were dead, it'd be best to be able to tell her family.

"You mean Sachi?" Kagome asked, looking around as well. "I didn't see anything…."

A small groan and whimper startled the two girls, causing them to yelp and cling to one another. Shippo whimpered and clung to the back of Kaname's head, trying to hide himself. The large swaths of webbing on the ground shifted, as though something were trying to come out. Inuyasha moved to pull out Tessaiga but stopped himself as the webbing finally fell off of whatever was beneath it.

A small girl of about seven or eight struggled from the webbing, pulling all of the strands from her hair and kimono. She hesitantly looked around, yelping as her eyes landed on the group. "D-d-demons!" She cried, tears welling in her eyes when she realized she had nowhere to hide.

"Wait!" Kaname exclaimed, reaching a hand out. Realizing she would only scare the child more, especially with how she was still covered in dried demon blood, she stopped herself short and sighed. "We're not demons. At least, not bad ones," she added when she remembered Shippo and Inuyasha. "We killed the spider demon."

The girl blinked the tears from her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "R-really? Did the village send you?"

"Akebi village?" Kagome pipped up, poking her head over Kaname's shoulder. When the girl nodded rapidly, the girl smiled. "So, are you Sachi?"

"Yes!" The girl cried out, tears welling in her eyes again. Sniffling, Sachi ran forward and hugged Kaname around the knees. "I was so scared! But I new Papa was looking for me and would send someone to save me!"

Kaname placed a hand on the girl's head, gently smoothing her hair in an attempt to calm her down. 'We did a good think,' she thought, a small smile on her face. 'I'm glad she's okay.'

"Let's get back to the village," Inuyasha muttered, turning on his heel to leave the room. "We need to get this girl back to her family."

"Right!"

* * *

A/N: Chapters are getting longer! Will be hitting the interval events in the next chapter. I will be going in order of group member and will do two at a time. However, there will be no romance with Inuyasha or Miroku because no NTR. Should give y'all a hint on which ending we're going for ;3

Will see ya soon in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 5

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha – A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 5 – A Time for Rest, P.1

Sachi, once she got over her fear, was a bubbly young girl. She rode on Inuyasha's shoulders, chatting animatedly with Shippo, who was being carried by Kagome. Kaname hung towards the back, surveying the mountain forest that slowly thinned out. The sun was close to setting; they'd be getting back to Akebi Village at some point in the night.

'I'll have to find Kakaju once we get back,' the brunette thought with a sigh. 'Shikigami is helpful, but I'm still useless if I can't fight.' Shaking her head and blinking harshly, the girl straightened up. She couldn't cry again; she'd already done that far too much since coming to this time.

"Kaname, are you all right?"

Kagome's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

The girl wasn't carrying Shippo anymore, and a quick glance showed that the fox demon had decided to sit on Inuyasha's shoulders with Sachi. Both kids sat on either side of the dog demon's head. It was a bit silly looking.

"I'm fine," Kaname quickly recovered, offering a weak grin to the other. "It's just… At the temple, I was practically useless…. I still can't fight, even with the power of the shikigami." Shoulders sagging again, Kaname seemed to shrink in to herself. "I'm worried I'm just slowing you guys down… I mean, you're doing all of this for me, but I can't do anything in return."

"That's not true," Kagome returned, eyes soft and expression gentle. "Remember, that spider demon had a shard of the Shikon Jewel. I picked it up after the battle, so that was a big help to us!"

"Oh yeah, why are you looking for the jewel? And just what is it?"

The dark haired girl hummed in thought for a moment, finger tapping her chin. "It's a sacred jewel, which can make demons and humans stronger. It used to be one jewel, but I screwed up and it shattered into many pieces. Those pieces are scattered across Japan now, and Inuyasha and others I've met here are trying to find all the pieces." Kagome smiled almost sardonically. "Inuyasha wants to become more powerful with it…"

"But he's already so strong…"

Kagome nodded, that strange smile still on her face. "But there are others looking for the jewel, and most often they don't use it for good. A demon named Naraku is our biggest enemy. He's been causing nothing but trouble for at least fifty years…. But, that's pretty much all about the jewel. I can explain more later, okay?"

Kaname nodded, feeling like she understood things a bit better now.

"You two, hurry up!" Inuyasha called, grumbling about how he couldn't very well get any demons that attacked them if they were behind him. The two girls looked to one another and giggled. Quickly, they sped up their walk and stood beside the dog boy.

* * *

"Sachi, you should head home now, okay?"

The young girl nodded, waving goodbye to Shippo before running off. The sun was almost completely down; there was no way they could leave the village at this hour.

"Let's go look for an inn," Kagome suggested, leading the way in to the village proper.

"I'll find you guys later," Kaname returned, picking at her sleeve. "I'm going to go find Kakaju. If he's still here, I want to ask more questions about Shikigami." Waving to the others, the brunette quickly hurried through the village. Hopefully, the elderly man would be at the river still.

The destroyed village outskirts were rather creepy in the late evening, almost like the temple. As she walked, Kaname wondered if Kagome and the others had been successful at finding an inn. She definitely needed a bath, and her clothes needed to be rinsed at least. Really, she'd almost gotten used to the feeling of blood. Which was, naturally, disgusting.

A sigh passed her lips as she reached the river's edge; the low hanging sun made the water look as though it were a fading fire. It was beautiful, but….

"Kakaju isn't here," the girl groaned, pouting slightly. 'I guess he was traveling, though. It's no surprise that he wouldn't be here anymore.' Shrugging sadly, Kaname prepared to return to the village proper. She might be able to ask around in the morning.

However, she stopped almost immediately as she nearly ran into a man's chest. A small shriek came from her before she could stop it, and she back peddled quickly. Nearly falling over, the girl took a moment to calm herself down before looking at who she almost ran in to.

A hunched over old man with eyes covered by silver hair, leaning on a gnarled cane, stood before her. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Kaname, was it? I'm sorry if I caused you a fright."

"Kakaju, it's fine," Kaname returned, taking a deep breath while righting herself. "I'm actually glad I found you! I needed to ask you a question…."

"Hmm? And what's that?"

The brunette fiddled with her hands, wondering how to ask the question. "Um… Can you- ah, teach me how to use Shikigami in a fight? I feel like I'm slowing everybody down, and I'm really worried because of that."

Kakaju nodded slowly, stroking his short beard as he thought. "I see, I see… And these are your friends from earlier? The boy with the anger as well?"

Kaname giggled but made an affirmative noise nonetheless.

"Shikigami is most often a peaceful power, but there are ways to hone your abilities. Since it comes from nature, it can certainly be a destructive force," Kakaju chuckled softly, probably sensing Kaname's excitement. "Come closer, child. I shall try to help unlock this potential."

Kaname nodded and walked over, placing her hand over the older man's. She closed her eyes, just like the last time, and breathed slowly. She could see the same fire from before. It was cradled in her palms, flickering slightly. However, after a moment the flickering flame began to grow. Before long, it was a roaring inferno cradled in her hands, filling Kaname with that same safe and warm feeling from before. Closing her eyes again – this time within her mind – Kaname exhaled sharply as the flame entered her body again.

Taking a shaky breath as they released one another's hands, Kakaju nodded slowly to himself. "Now, my child, you should be able to use the power of Shikigami for battle. It will take time to hone, just like any form of physical activity, but it can be done."

Kaname smiled and bowed. "Thank you so much, Kakaju! Ah… What will you do now?"

"I will most likely continue my own journey," the older man replied. "As a priest, I do my best to aid wherever there is troublesome demonic activity. Though I am afraid I was unable to help much with the spider demon…. But you and your friends managed to slay it, didn't you?"

"We did, actually," the brunette said, wonder in her voice. "How did you know?"

"I could sense the lack of demonic energy, as well as a great swell of spiritual power. I believe your friends are quite strong to take care of such a demon."

Kaname nodded. "You're right! They're very strong; that's why I'm so happy I can finally help them!"

Kakaju smiled and shook his head. "You have a kind soul, my child. I hope we will meet again."

* * *

There ended up being no inn in Akebi Village. Though a prosperous mining and logging village, they did not often have those that stayed for long periods of time. However, Gosuke gladly offered his home as a place for the group to stay, something which Sachi and her elder sister both insisted upon. They even had a bath; Kaname began sniffling when she heard that. So, after she and Kagome both took a quick bath, washing away the dirt, grime, and in Kaname's case blood from the past couple of days, they all went to sleep near the house's firepit.

Kaname found herself awake early, the early morning sunlight piercing her closed eyes. Grumbling as she sat up, the girl rubbed her eyes and yawned. 'Already morning, huh,' she thought as she stretched and sat up. The girl quietly made her way outside of the small house, looking at the morning light as it fell through the trees. It really was peaceful here.

Yet her breath caught as she stood there, remembering that she was basically trapped here. 'Everyone must be so worried,' she thought, lip beginning to tremble. 'Mom and Dad… Michiru and Yuka… What are they thinking?'

"You gonna cry again?"

Kaname yelped. She leapt back and stopped herself from screaming, head shooting up. Inuyasha quirked a brow, watching her from a rather high tree limb. "Inuyasha, you scared me!" The girl cried out, holding a hand over her heart. "And I'm not going to cry, all right? It's just… I'm worried about my family and friends… What do they think about me disappearing?"

"They're probably worried," Gosuke's voice came from the tree line. The man carried an arm full of firewood; he'd obviously gotten up early to collect it. "I know I was worried about my Sachi when she disappeared, enough to think you were a demon."

"That's what I'm worried about," Kaname sighed. "Oh, Gosuke, do you need help with the firewood? That looks like a lot!"

The man shook his head, offering a smile. "You really are too kind to be a demon," he chuckled, moving past the girl and in to the house.

Inuyasha humphed and jumped down from the tree limb, landing with barely any sound. He crossed his arms and walked towards Kaname; the girl looking side to side, giggling nervously. "You really are too nice, yeah? Gotta be careful about that."

"You're pretty nice too," Kaname shot back, keeping her gaze over the boy's shoulder. "You know… For a demon."

"Hey!" The boy exclaimed, face flushing. It was a sudden change that caused Kaname to laugh suddenly. "Hmph, guess you're not too bad to have around. Since we still have to look for a way back home for you."

"Oh, that's right… No one knew a way for me to get home here."

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, hesitating a moment before placing his hand on Kaname's head. He ruffled her hair as the girl yelped, chuckling as his hand was batted away. "There's gotta be a way, so don't cry anymore."

"Um, pardon me," a quiet voice brought an end to the two's discussion. Gosuke's elder daughter stood behind them, a small pouch in her hand. "My father wanted me to give this to you…. It's payment, for slaying the spider demon and bringing Sachi back."

Kaname held her hands up, shaking her head. "O-oh no… I couldn't accept that!"

"Please, it's not much," the young woman insisted, taking Kaname's hand and placing the pouch in it.

"It'd be easier if you just accepted it," Inuyasha muttered.

Kaname sighed, looking back to the girl with a smile. "Okay, thank you so much," she said with a small bow.

* * *

Once everyone woke up, they began the journey back to Kaede's Village. Perhaps due to the early hour, or even the spider demon's slaying, there were much fewer demons as compared to the first time they made the trip. Due to this, the trip was much faster than before. They arrived in the village around late evening, just as the sun was setting. Kaede didn't quite seem shocked by their arrival and welcomed them into her home for the night. There were a couple bed rolls in a corner, which made Kaname wonder if Kaede's home was just where the group stayed when in the village.

Just as the pervious night, they all turned in early. And Kaname found herself awake early yet again. Michiru would be impressed with her at this rate. She was always running late for school because of her horrible sleeping habits. She laid on her bedroll for quite some time as this thought went through her head, thinking back on all the times she and her brother had argued over that fact. Sighing heavily, Kaname rolled over and decided to wait until the others had woken up as well.

* * *

"We have no leads, so what should we do today?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Inuyasha scoffed, leaning on his arm as he lay by the firepit. "We go looking for more jewel shards."

"But we need to keep looking for a way for Kaname to get home," Kagome returned, crossing her arms and glaring slightly at the boy. Inuyasha, for his part, flushed slightly in embarrassment.

Kaname slapped her cheek at a slight stinging sensation, looking down at her hand. "Oh, Myoga," she exclaimed, watching the flea demon inflate himself. "It's been a while…"

Inuyasha shot up and leaned over Kaname's shoulder, glaring at the small demon. "Finally decided to show your face, huh? I wonder just where you disappeared too…"

Myoga looked everywhere except Inuyasha, sweat falling comically from his forehead. "Eh-he-he," he chuckled nervously. "Well, I believe Lady Kagome was wondering just how you ought to spend your day… Why not take a day off?"

"Oh, that sounds nice!" Shippo exclaimed.

"That might be a good idea," Kagome nodded slowly. "After all, we have been traveling for the past few days."

Inuyasha humphed, seeing that he was outnumbered. "What about you, Kaname?"

The brunette thought for a moment before nodding. "A day off sounds great."

"Then it's decided!" Kagome exclaimed, clapping her hands. "We'll split off in to groups of two, then come back around noon."

"Then split off in to different groups?"

"Yup!"

Kaname giggled along with Kagome as Inuyasha groaned.

* * *

The first person Kaname decided to spend time with was Inuyasha. She wanted to understand more about him. He seemed to be a constant contradiction, cold yet friendly, and he straight up confused her. She explained this to Kagome, not wanting the other girl to get the wrong idea, and got an understanding nod and a small laugh.

"We're not dating or anything, so I don't really mind," the girl muttered, the blush dusting her cheeks betraying her true feelings. Kaname had let it go though, not wanting to tease the girl. At least, not at that moment.

So, the two found themselves at Kaede's hut, once all the others had left. Even Kaede had left for the day, making her rounds about the village. Kaname stood finally, dusting her skirt off. Once again, she'd borrowed an outfit from Kagome, this time consisting of a brown skirt and a white t-shirt. She would be doing her best to make sure this outfit lasted a long while; she felt bad about borrowing so many outfits from the other girl.

"Finally decided on something to do?" The boy asked, looking up from picking at his nails. Or, well, they were actually claws, weren't they?

Kaname nodded. "I heard Kagome mention that she wanted to make some medicine that Kaede taught her. Since it's her day off, I wanted to help her by finding one of the herbs she'd need…"

"You wanna spend your day off doing someone else's work?" Inuyasha asked, snorting as the brunette nodded. "Fine, what do you need me for?"

"The herb has a really strong smell, so I wanted your help since your nose is so strong," Kaname offered a beseeching look. The boy shook his head but stood, motioning for Kaname to lead the way.

The two made their way out to the forest around the village, passing a rather large tree. Inuyasha glared at the tree, as though wishing it weren't there. Thinking back on it, Kaname realized he had done the same thing when Kagome lead them to the well.

"Inuyasha," she began, hesitating a moment. "Why don't you like that tree?"

The boy didn't reply. Kaname was ready to drop the subject, but he finally spoke, "I was sealed to that tree for fifty years." He then brushed past the girl, a dark look on his face. The girl instantly regretting her question but followed after him nonetheless.

The two continued in silence, Kaname only speaking up to give a description of the herb they were looking for. Inuyasha, in turn, didn't speak until he thought he'd found the right herb.

"Ah, actually," Kaname muttered, sniffing the herb she had picked. "I think this is the right one. See, it smells really strong…"

"W-what?" Inuyasha yelped, jumping back and gagging. "Keep that away from me! It smells horrible!"

"Huh?" Kaname cocked her head to the side, sniffing the herb again. "It doesn't smell that bad…"

"Urgh… I can't breathe any more, damn it," the boy groaned, covering his nose with his sleeve. "Let's just get going…" Inuyasha staggered off back towards the village. Kaname grinned, hoping this meant that she hadn't actually ruined their budding friendship.

* * *

"What're you doing, Kagome?" Kaname peered over the other girl's shoulder. Kagome had accepted the herb earlier with a bright smile and a thank you; Inuyasha had immediately run off, leaving Shippo to go find him. As such, the two girls were left by themselves in Kaede's hut.

"I'm fixing up some lunches for everyone," the black haired girl explained, her attention on the small pot she had brought from her home in the present. "We might be leaving again tomorrow, so I want to make sure we've all got something to eat while on the road."

Kaname nodded, a small 'oh' leaving her mouth. "I wouldn't have thought of that; Kagome, you're really like a mom, huh?" The brunette giggled at the flush that settled over the other girl's face. "Need any help?"

"Oh, yes! That'd be great!"

Kaname moved to the small, low shelf where several vegetables and a knife had been set out. "I just need to chop these up, right?"

"And peel the potatoes before they get cold, please!"

The girl nodded sharply, picking up the knife and shaking off her nerves. She'd never done this before, but she wanted to help! However, it wasn't as easy as her mother always made it look….

"Kaname, there's barely any potato left…"

"I-I know…" Kaname stuttered, still trying to get rid of the potato skin. She couldn't quite get it to come off with gentle swipes. It was more like hacking away at the tuber. "To be honest, it's mostly my mom and my brother," the last part was muttered with embarrassment, "that do this stuff…"

Kagome giggled softly, moving the pot of rice from the stove. "Alright, move over and I'll –" both girls yelped as the knife slipped in Kaname's hand, slicing the girl's finger. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I'll get a bandage real fast!"

Kaname whimpered and held her hand close, trying to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. 'Kagome is really kind,' she thought, watching the other bustle around and try to perform near full first aid on the small cut. 'I hope we can be friends….'

* * *

"Ah, I see ye have not found any clues."

Kaname jumped, turning back towards the hut entrance. Kaede stood there, illuminated from the fire within the hut. "Oh… No, we haven't, Lady Kaede." It felt weird addressing someone as such, but she'd hear the villagers doing so earlier.

The older woman nodded slowly, shuffling to stand next to the girl. The two stared at the sky for a while before the woman began to speak again. "Do not let this slow you down, child. Surely there is a way for ye to return home."

"I-I know…" Kaname muttered. "I just wish it were easier to find…"

"Easy is not always best."

Kaname nodded silently, looking at the stars. There were so many… And it was so beautiful.

* * *

A/N: The tale continues! Finally made it through what I consider the 'prologue' of the game, meaning the story is finally about to kick in.

My favorite part of the game is after the Castle Town. I bet a few of you know just why ;3c


	7. Chapter 6

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha – A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 6 – The Girl on the Wanted Poster

Kaname hadn't remembered falling asleep. Rather, it was as though one moment she was awake, the next she was waking back up. As she stretched, the girl reached for the toothbrush Kagome had given her; she might not have been able to take regular baths now, but thankfully she could still brush her teeth. After doing so, the girl quickly dressed behind the small divider in the hut and made her way outside.

The sun was, once again, bright in the early morning sky. The sudden warm weather meant that Kagome had leant her a short-sleeved shirt instead of a turtle neck. But despite the sudden warmth, there were a few clouds in the distance. It might rain in a few days.

"Oh, Kaname! You're awake!"

"Shippo, what are you doing up so early?"

The small fox shuffled his feet for a moment before shrugging. "I had to go gather more acorns for my Transformation magic! I don't expect you to understand though," the boy puffed his chest up at the last comment. Kaname chuckled and didn't try to question him.

"You want to walk around the village with me?" The brunette asked, crouching down and holding her arms open. "I want to ask around for any more leads."

"I'm not a kid; you don't have to carry me!"

Kaname cocked her head to the side, keeping her arms open. After a moment, the boy huffed and grumbled before jumping in to the girl's arms. He yelped as Kaname stood up quickly and moved him to sit on her shoulders. However, the fox boy began giggling as the girl began moving quickly through the village. They weren't quite running, but nevertheless Kaname enjoyed the clean morning air and the ever so slight sting of it against her still over heated skin.

"Pardon me!"

Kaname slowed to a trot and backtracked a few steps. A rather large young man had waved her down, seeming out of breath. "Hmm?"

"Wow, he's fat," Shippo muttered, whistling nervously when Kaname tried to glare at him.

"Do you happen to know where to get any good food around here?" The man asked, adjusting his pack. "My name is Gimbe and I just arrived in this village. I've been here several times before but seem to have forgotten the village layout."

The brunette shook her head, feeling a bit awkward at the sudden questioning. "Ah, I'm afraid not… I've only been here for a couple days, so I don't know much of anything."

Gimbe nodded, stroking his chin – smooth as though he had never grown facial hair at all. "I see… But wait!" The young man leaned in, causing Kaname to yelp slightly. "I've seen your face before, but where was it?" He leaned back and snapped his fingers after a moment, obviously remembering whatever he was thinking about. "Kasasagi Town. I saw your face in Kasasagi Town, but I wonder why…"

"You've never been there, though," Shippo commented after they bid farewell to Gimbe. The boy seemed rather troubled at the fact.

Kaname nodded slowly, troubled as well. She turned back towards Kaede's hut. Maybe she needed to talk what had just happened over with the others.

* * *

"Ah, so Gimbe has returned to our village, has he?" Kaede hummed after Kaname had related the past twenty or so minutes. The elder woman was tending to the firepit, where a stew base of some sort had been started. No doubt she was getting a head start on what would be her supper. "He is a rather gluttonous young man, I will admit. But he is no liar."

Kagome hummed softly in thought, carefully loading her yellow backpack with supplies. Every now and again she would hand things off to Kaname, who placed them in her own backpack. "So, for some reason he's certain he saw your face in Kasasagi Town? Maybe we should go investigate. In the city we can listen for talk of the Shikon Jewel as well."

Inuyasha snorted, picking at his teeth with a claw. "Then let's get going, huh? We're getting nowhere just sitting around here."

"Why do you think we're packing?"

Kagome and Inuyasha glared at one another for a moment, a slight bolt of tension in the air. Kaname giggled softly while Shippo and Kaede sighed in a long-suffering manner. They were all ready to leave again within what felt like thirty minutes; Kaname was the last to leave the hut.

"Ah, before ye leave," Kaede caught the girl's attention, offering a bundle of clothes. "It would be better to take these with you. Kagome mentioned the incident with the demon in the temple. Having an extra pair of clothes with ye will help."

Kaname took the old-fashioned outfit, looking at just what she had been handed. It looked like an old miko's outfit – what looked like a pleated red skirt or pair of hakama and a white haori. Due to its age, it looked a bit moth bitten, but otherwise in great condition.

"An old miko uniform?"

Kaede nodded. "I will have ye know that I wore that when I was a young girl. I believe it should fit you, Kaname, so please take it with you."

Kaname bowed in thanks, resisting the urge to give the older woman a hug. She felt she didn't know anyone well enough for that level of familiarity. "Thank you so much, Lady Kaede. I guess we'll see you soon!"

"Have a safe journey."

* * *

As with their journey to Akebi Village, the group hadn't been able to reach Kasasagi Town before nightfall. According to those they met on the road, it would be at least half of another day's walk before they would reach the feudal city. And so, Kaname found herself camping for the third time in her life. Before the past few days, the only other time she had been camping was a school trip – which she had by no means enjoyed.

"Kasasagi Town should be full of leads, you know."

Kaname nodded, sighing heavily. "I know, but even so… I'm worried. What if there's just no way for me to go home?"

Kagome bit her lip, hugging her knees close and keeping her eyes on the fire in front of them. The camp was mostly quiet. Shippo had already fallen asleep and Inuyasha was somewhere some ways off, keeping watch. The sounds of steady breathing, crackling fire, and forest creatures were all that could be heard for a moment. At length, Kagome responded.

"That's not a good attitude to have," she started, continuing before Kaname could interject. "You need to keep your chin up. If you think there's no way home, you might be less likely to find one. So, just stay positive, alright?"

Kaname was silent for a while before huffing a small laugh. "You really are kind, Kagome… You haven't let me get down on myself this whole time."

"Of course," the other girl returned, grinning. "Us girls have to stick together, yeah?"

The two began giggling together after that. Soon, the conversation turned away from such depressing thoughts to more about their lives in the present. Kaname enjoyed the feeling of having someone it was so easy to talk with. Yuka had been her friend since elementary school, but it had never been this easy to talk with her.

* * *

It took another day of walking to reach Kasasagi Town, not half a day as the passing traveler had said, meaning they had to spend another night outside. Kaname was beginning to find comfort in sleeping outside. Kagome had dug out some bug repellant from her backpack, something she had forgotten about on their trip to Akebi village, meaning there were less bugs. All that was left, therefore, was to enjoy the stars. Which Kaname had plenty of time to do, considering she had a hard time falling asleep.

Nevertheless, around the afternoon of their third day traveling, they reached Kasasagi Town. The clouds Kaname had seen back in Kaede's Village had finally coalesced, blocking out the sun. The day was rather dreary, but the village was still bustling with life. In fact, it was the busiest place Kaname had seen since arriving in the feudal era.

"Wow, it's so busy," the brunette muttered, adjusting her backpack. Kagome nodded in agreement, watching with fairly wide eyes.

Shippo scampered up Inuyasha's shoulders – ignoring the dog demon's yelp of indignation – and 'ooo-ed' at the crowd. "I wonder if they sell juice here!"

"Why would they sell something like that," Inuyasha scoffed, a slight scowl still on his face. Shippo giggled sheepishly before scampering down him again. "Look, we're here to listen for rumors of jewel shards and just how that guy saw Kaname. Nothing else."

Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Alright, then. It's very crowded here, so it'd be best to split up to cover more ground. How about we go on our own and meet back here in an hour?" After a moment, Kagome added, "Shippo, you can come with me; it might be dangerous for you on your own. And Inuyasha, please don't scare any of the villagers."

"Feh," Inuyasha scoffed, arms crossed.

Kaname smiled, laughing softly at the exchange. Waving goodbye to the others, the brunette turned and began walking in to the city. She didn't really know how to talk with people, had always been a bit shy, so she focused on looking around. It was easy to tell the scale difference between Kasasagi Town and Kaede's Village. The buildings were all closer together, a couple of store owners yelling about their wares and villagers bustling about. Kaname could only assume that the houses here were row houses, cramped together somewhere in the city, as opposed to the huts in Kaede's Village. To be honest, she couldn't imaging living here would be enjoyable.

"Pardon me, miss."

"Huh?" Kaname halted as she felt a small tug on her skirt. She looked down and saw a small girl, probably no older than ten. The girl had silky looking black hair and wore a nice, yellow kosode. "Are you lost?"

"Nu-uh," the girl replied, pointing towards a nearby building. It was larger than the other stores, with a nice front and a few people passing in and out. "My brother was saying he thought he saw you before, but didn't want to speak with you. I think he's just shy; he never wants to talk to pretty girls!"

Kaname laughed quietly, allowing herself to be dragged over to the nicer building. A small banner hung over the entry way, marking it as an inn. A signboard was placed to the right of the door, but the brunette paid it no heed. Next to the entryway stood a boy probably around Kaname's age, glaring lightly at his sister.

"Kurenai, I told you I didn't really want to speak with her," he grumbled once they were close enough. He didn't make eye contact with Kaname it seemed; it caused the girl to laugh again. "I only pointed her out because she's dressed so weird."

"B-but Haru…"

Kaname looked down at her outfit. It had, again, been leant to her by Kagome; she hadn't seen the need in wearing the old miko outfit Kaede had leant her. She instead wore a white button down and a black skirt. Her school socks were beginning to lose their elasticity, and they were baggy around her calves; her school shoes were also pretty scuffed up by now. Compared to the people of Kasasagi Town, she did look pretty weird.

"Plus, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before…" The boy muttered. He leaned in with a scrutinizing look on his face. It made Kaname feel nervous. "Hmmm… Oh, that's it!" With that, the boy, Haru, rushed over to the signboard next to the inn. "This is where I've seen her before."

Kaname walked over to the sign board as well, peering over Haru's shoulder. She gasped as what she saw. It was a wanted poster, ordered by the headman of Kasasagi Town. The shocking part, though, was what was on the wanted poster. Kaname saw a drawing of herself, face placid. There were some minor differences, since her hair had grown out a bit since arriving in the feudal era, but despite that it was a near perfect image.

"W-what…." She whispered, backing away slightly.

Haru turned to face her, a glare on his face. "I don't know why there's a wanted poster for you, but I have a duty as a citizen of Kasasagi Town." He looked over his shoulder, seeming to notice the presence of someone, and shouted, "Guards! I've found the girl on the wanted poster!"

A group of about five men ran over. Kaname knew she should run, just like she had run from the villagers from Akebi, but she couldn't make herself move. She could feel the eyes of many people on her. If she tried to run, no doubt someone else would just grab her. Her legs felt numb and her heart pounded as she was closed in on. A rough hand grabbed her by the wrist, snapping her out of her thoughts and making her cry out.

"Come with us quietly or we will use force," the guard that had grabbed her said. His voice was a rough as his grip. "The headman wants to see you."

"Y-you're hurting me," Kaname whimpered, stumbling as she was lead along. "Please, I don't understand…."

"Be glad we aren't restraining you," another guard spat, a glare on his face. "You're a dangerous criminal, you're lucky we're going easy on you."

'Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo…' Kaname thought, whimpering again. She was scared; if she had known this was how Gimbe knew her face, she wouldn't have come to Kasasagi Town. 'Please come help me…'

* * *

A/N: Bit of a shorter chapter this time, sorry about that! But, if you've played the game you know what's coming up; I wanted to make that chapter a longer one due to the amount of plot that gets introduced in Kasasagi Town.

Hope everyone is still enjoying this fic! Please feel free to leave a review to let me know what you're liking or disliking.

Edit, 11/2/18: Goodness it's been so long since I updated this fic ;-;

And this isn't even a longer chapter, gosh I'm so sorry! Anyway, Kasasagi Town's arc is almost finished now. I've written up to Tsuzumi Village, so we're almost at what I consider a decent halfway point of the game!

I hope you all continue enjoying this fic, even if I'm horrible at updating!


	8. Chapter 7

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha – A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 7 – A Messenger from the Castle

The headman's house was on the outskirts of the city; Kaname was practically dragged the whole way, stumbling after the guards the entire time. Somewhere along the way another guard had grabbed her other arm; she would probably have bruises from how hard they were gripping her. Finally, they reached the headman's house; Kaname could tell as they passed though a rather large gateway. A wall surrounded the headman's house, most likely to keep intruders out.

Rather than enter the manor house itself, the guards continued leading her around the edge of the building. They passed several servants, who whispered among themselves. Kaname couldn't hear them, but it was very unlikely they would help her. She sighed softly as she was lead further on to the grounds; gravel crunched under her feet as they walked. Finally, the guards pulled her to a halt. Kaname gasped as she was forced to her knees, finally looking up.

A middle-aged man sat on a porch in front of her, his clothes a bit nicer than the other villagers she had seen. His eyes were narrow, made even smaller from the glare he had directed at her. "So, the castle messenger was right after all… Didn't take you long to arrive, criminal."

"Please, wait," Kaname finally found her voice, confusion and anger boiling up inside her. "I don't understand what I've done wrong!" She exclaimed, glaring at the guards that held her down. Gravel was digging in to her knees; it really hurt. "I've never been outside of small villages, and I've never hurt any one! Please, I don't understand…"

The village headman scoffed. "Of course, you would deny your crimes. All that matters to me is that the castle messenger Kagura said you are dangerous. So, we're going to hold you until she arrives to take you back to the castle."

"W-what?" Kaname gasped, eyes going wide. "But you can't prove I've done anything!"

"Your story doesn't matter," the headman returned, true anger lacing his words. Kaname immediately shut her mouth, instead feeling herself glare without really meaning to. "Men, take her away."

* * *

The guards threw her into a cell, causing her knees to be scraped up. A slow trickle of blood had started to leek out; they stung as the air touched them. Kaname had huddled herself into a corner of the cell, drawing patterns in the dirt.

'The others are probably wondering where I am,' she thought, sighing. A look outside the cell showed it to be late afternoon, the sun beginning to hang low in the sky. 'I don't think they'd be able to convince the headman of anything, though… Am I really going to be taken to the castle? How far from Kaede's Village is that?' Kaname wiped at her eyes, angry at herself for wanting to cry.

"Excuse me."

A quiet voice startled her, bringing her attention back to the cell bars. A young girl stood there, her eyes wide. She wore a dirty kosode and had dark hair tied out of her face. From the looks of it, she was a servant of the headman.

"I'm sorry to have startled you, but I brought you water," the girl offered a cup through the cell bars. Kaname pushed herself up and walked over, taking the cup. "For what it's worth, I don't believe you're a criminal like the headman believes. The castle's messenger was a strange one; she seemed to have convinced the headman far too easily…" The girl looked around, making sure no one was around. "I think she might have been a demon."

"Oh," Kaname gasped. Could that mean…. That this Kagura knew just how she had been brought to the feudal era? She would have to ask Kagome… If she could get out of the cell, that is. "Thank you," she finally said, offering the servant girl a smile. The girl smiled back before scurrying off.

Sipping at the water and filled with a new sense of purpose, the brunette finally surveyed the cell in detail. It was pretty barren, with a dirt floor and a bundle of hay in the corner. So, there wasn't much to see. Just as she was about to give up again, Kaname happened to see a small sparkle at the back of the cell. Placing the cup on the ground, Kaname moved towards that sparkle. She placed a hand on the wall and gasped; it felt slightly scaly, just like serpentine rock!

Stepping back, the girl clasped her hands together. Her heart was racing with excitement as she extended an open palm, uttering the incantation. "Oh flame, burning bright… Hear my call!" The flame traveled from her hand to the wall, causing it to split open. She had tried to control the strength of the blast. After all, she didn't want the guards to hear and come running; she'd never get away like that.

With a small opening in the wall, Kaname quickly hurried out. If she could find a backway through the village, she could make it to the meeting spot with the others. She needed to tell them just what was going on.

* * *

The row houses were cramped, but nowhere near as busy as the town proper. The people she did pass seemed to pay her no heed, making her escape from the headman's grounds much easier. However, the housing district of Kasasagi Town was much more like a maze. This made the trek all the harder, as Kaname found herself turned around several times. However, eventually she found her way out of the housing district, the town entrance finally in sight. Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo were waiting around the entrance gate, talking amongst themselves.

They were probably worried…

Kaname took a breath before hanging her head and rushing towards the trio. "Am I glad to see you guys," she greeted breathlessly, leaning over her knees for a moment.

Varying cries of 'you're alright' came from the three. Shippo jumped on to her shoulders, tugging slightly at her hair.

"You scared us!" The kitsune exclaimed, continuing to tug on her hair.

"Shippo's right," Kagome held a hand to her chest, a worried look on her face. "We saw wanted posters everywhere with your face on them! They all said you were a criminal, and that you needed to be taken directly to the headman."

Kaname nodded, ignoring Shippo's tugging for the moment. "That's exactly what happened," she returned, quickly explaining everything that had happened. "The headman said he was waiting for the arrival of the castle's messenger… I think he said their name was Kagura."

The other three immediately paused; Kaname could feel Shippo stiffening up on her shoulder.

"Um…"

"Did you say Kagura," Inuyasha snarled, cracking his knuckles. "If she's here, I guess we're going to have a fight on our hands."

"Do you guys know her?"

Kagome nodded, her concerned expression morphing into a troubled one. "Kagura is a demonic incarnation of Naraku, our greatest enemy… We can explain more later, but it's bad that she's looking for you."

"But that means that Naraku has something to do with Kaname coming to this time," Shippo cried, sounding genuinely distressed. Once again, Kaname found herself feeling quite lost and out of the loop.

But, if this Naraku was somehow responsible for bringing her to the feudal era, then… Then she wanted to confront this Kagura. Once she told the others, she wasn't the least bit shocked to see Inuyasha smirk wickedly.

"Glad to see you're growing a backbone, Kururugi. Let's get to the headman's house, there's no time to waste!"

"Hold on a second!" Kagome shouted, stepping in front of Kaname and Inuyasha. "We can't just go barging in; those at the headman's house are human, remember?" Both of the chastised looked at their feet, blushing sheepishly. "We need to come up with a plan!"

"And just what plan do ya have in mind?"

"W-well…." Kagome chuckled nervously, refusing to meet Inuyasha's eyes.

Kaname tapping her chin, racking her brain for ideas. They could only stand idle for so long before someone realized she was gone… Or some villager reported her. For some reason, the time she spoke with Shippo a few days ago stuck out to her.

 _"I had to go gather more acorns for my Transformation magic! I don't expect you to understand though," the boy puffed his chest up at the last comment._

Snapping her fingers, Kaname got her friends attention before speaking. "Guys, I think I have an idea!"

* * *

"You sure this is the best idea?"

Kaname gasped as, well, herself came out from behind a building. Nearly everything was the same, right down to her haircut. "Wow, Shippo!" She gasped out, eyes wide. "You look exactly like me!"

Kaname's mirror image flushed demurely, tugging at the spare skirt Kagome had dug out of her bag for this stunt. "You really think so? I'm a bit nervous so…."

"Shippo," Kagome interjected, an encouraging smile on her face. "You're doing great! There's no way those guards can see through your disguise."

"R-really?"

"Let's go," Inuyasha muttered, jumping down from the tree he had perched in. "If we stand around too long, we might miss Kagura." Without looking to see if the others were following, the boy began making his way towards where Kaname had said the headman's house was.

Kaname huffed. "He sure is single minded…"

"He has his reasons," Kagome returned, eyes shadowed. "All of us have a reason to hate Naraku… And by extension, Kagura. It's only natural that he would want to fight…."

Kaname nodded sharply, steeling herself. If Inuyasha was so determined, she would be too. "Well then," she said, giggling and turning to Shippo. "Let's get this criminal to the town headman!"

* * *

"Wait here, the headman will see you shortly," the guard ordered gruffly, tightening the rope on Kaname-Shippo's wrists before turning on his heel and leaving.

The three that had entered the manor grounds all heaved a sigh. Kaname had kept her head down the entire time, going so far as to stand behind Kagome and not speaking at all. It would do no good for their lie to be found out so easily. Her heart still pounded erratically; the plan had had a 50/50 chance of failing. And it had just been them; Inuyasha had waited outside the manor, leaving them with not so effective ways to defend themselves.

Kaname thought back to what had transpired before they approached the headman's home.

 _"Alright, let's get going," Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, a dark look on his face. Ever since she had brought up Kagura, Kaname noticed how serious Inuyasha had gotten. He was a bit frightening in such a state._

 _Kagome stepped in front of the dog-eared boy, arms crossed. "Hold on, Inuyasha." She sighed, obviously mulling over how she was going to continue. "I think it would be better if you stayed out here."_

 _"What?" The other three exclaimed, all eyes going wide. Not having Inuyasha come along would mean the loss of their strongest member._

 _"But Inuyasha is a demon, right?" Kaname muttered the question, keeping her voice quiet. "He's so strong; it'd be dangerous without him."_

 _Kagome seemed startled for a moment, biting her lip. "Actually, Inuyasha is –"_

 _"Not now, Kagome," Inuyasha shot back. His anger seemed to have seeped out of him; a shadow hung over his face._

 _Kaname felt bad about bringing it up. "It's okay," she said instead, offering a placating smile. "We can talk about it later."_

Kaname had to admit that she still felt horribly unsafe without the dog-eared boy. Kagome and Shippo were strong as well – and she herself had the power of Shikigami now – but Inuyasha was most definitely the strongest of their little group. And now, in what could be considered enemy territory, it was hard to feel comfortable.

"What now?" The brunette asked, shifted from foot to foot nervously.

Kagome crossed her arms, eyes shut in thought. "We should look around for signs of Kagura. If she's here, the humans of the manor and the city are in danger."

"W-wait…." Kaname-Shippo stuttered out, shakily pointing with both bound hands at the sky. A dull buzzing had filled the air, making all of their ears ring as the noise got closer. Large, hornet-like insects flew by; Kaname gasped as one seemed to lock eyes with her. The eyes were blood red, with black slitted pupils; it sent a shiver of dread down the girl's spine.

"The Saimyōshō," Kagome gasped, whipping around to face Kaname. "Those are Naraku's eyes. If they're here we might already be too late."

"You think?"

Inuyasha leapt over the wall surrounding the manor, claws slashing at the insects. They were shredded to pieces, dissolving in the air before they could hit the ground. The dog-eared boy landed with a slight _thump_ , snarling softly. "So, she's here. Let's-"

"Wait," Kaname blurted out, fidgeting with her shirt sleeve absently. "I… We need to make sure the headman is safe."

"You really want to?" Shippo asked, allowing his Transformation magic to drop. The ropes that had bound his wrists fell to the ground, obviously far too big now. "He threw you in jail!"

The brunette nodded slowly. "Yes, but I think he's a good man regardless. He was just doing what he thought was right!"

"Tch," Inuyasha scoffed, placing a hand on his sword. "Let's go find him then; we'd better hurry though, or we'll miss Kagura!"

* * *

It was a good thing they decided to go looking for the headman. The man was surrounded by demons, all that looked as though they were ready to eat him.

"You still wanna help him?" Inuyasha asked, removing Tessaiga from its sheath.

Kaname nodded sharply, knowing that she couldn't just leave the man to his fate, regardless of what he had done to her earlier that very day. "We can't just leave him to die…" The girl muttered, clasping her hands. She called upon the power of Shikigami, thinking of the swarm of demons as she exclaimed the intonation. "Oh flame, burning bright…. Turn into a sword in my palm!"

The fire cut through the swarm; several of the demons shrieked in surprise and pain. Kaname was shocked at the damage done to the demons; the difference between practical and physical Shikigami was so drastic. Not allowing himself to be shocked, Inuyasha launched in to his own attack, Tessaiga slicing through the remaining demons.

Once the demons lay dead, the headman shakily stood from his crouching position. "Thank you," he shakily said, holding a hand to his heart. "I… I was mistaken. The messenger from the castle was a demon! Once she heard that you," he gestured to Kaname, still struggling to calm himself. "That you had escaped, that demon Kagura flew in to a rage. She summoned so many demons, and said that she would kill the entire town if you were not found…"

Kaname gulped, feeling her stomach drop. Why did this Kagura want to capture her so badly? After a moment, the brunette replied, "We're going to stop her, but it's not for you. I need to ask this Kagura some questions."

"She's right," Kagome added, a slight glare on her face. Kaname was a bit flattered that the other girl was angry on her behalf. "Where is Kagura?"

"She's… She's in the main building. Most likely waiting for her demons to bring the girl to her."

"Let's get going," Inuyasha muttered, determination lighting his eyes. "Go hide, old man, or you'll just get attacked by more demons. You can apologize to Kaname later, got it?"

The headman nodded rapidly, scurrying off to hide. Once he was gone, the small group turned their attention to the main building on the grounds. It was slightly larger than the other buildings on the grounds, with a more elaborate roof and more sliding doors lining the outer walls. Kaname thought it might have been just her imagination, but the building seemed to give off a horrible aura, one that made her skin crawl.

"Let's get going."

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome huffed as the dog-eared boy rushed off, bolting towards the main building in a blur of red and white. "Let's hurry; Kagura isn't safe to fight alone…"

Kaname and Shippo, the latter of which was perched on Kagome's shoulder, nodded sharply. The three quickly ran after Inuyasha, heading through the open door and towards the one room that a light flickered within. The sun had long set outside – the day had certainly been a long one – leaving everything exceedingly dark. Kaname could barely make out a shadow cast on the far wall, along with the shadow of Inuyasha's sword. The three entered the room, and Kaname came face to face with the woman that had nearly kidnapped her.

She wore a layered kimono, a common outfit for the traditional dancers in the Shinto. It was red and white in color, with the second layer a dark blue. An intricate pattern of birds was detailed in white on the inner kimono. The outer robe was secured with a thin yellow obi; the woman wore no shoes, leaving her feet bare. Her hair was tied in a bun, kept off her shoulders, and red eyes glinted in the dim candle light.

'Of course,' Kaname thought. 'She's dressed like a kagura dancer… I've seen a similar outfit back home, at a ceremony Dad took me to…'

"So," the woman began, voice low. "I see the mutt brought me the girl after all." She chuckled, covering the lower half of her face with a fan. "Well done, even though I could've gone without all the noise you've made."

Inuyasha growled, dropping further in to his fighting stance. "Shut up!" He yelled. "Are you ready to die?"

"Inuyasha, wait," Kaname blurted out, grabbing on to his arm in her hurry to make him stop. "So, this is Kagura?" When the boy nodded sharply, she felt her eyes narrow. "Tell me, why are you trying to capture me?"

Kagura smirked, lowering her fan only slightly. "I have no reason to tell you, girl. Now, come along quietly and no one will be hurt."

"You liar!" Kagome exclaimed, notching an arrow.

"So, you'll fight?" The woman shrugged, seeming only minorly inconvenienced by the turn of events. "Very well. Let's see you dodge this, girl. Dance of Blades!"

Kaname gasped as she was pushed away by Inuyasha, hitting the floor with a solid _thump_ and sliding nearly to the wall. What felt like a solid wall of wind blew over her, the effect tearing a gasp from her throat even as she was reeling from the harsh shove. The wind had taken the form of what looked like blades, cutting through both the air and the wall behind Kaname.

"Lucky I need you alive, girl, or that wouldn't have missed!" Kagura launched in to another attack, which Kaname quickly scurried away from. Without looking behind her, the brunette heard the clang of metal, undoubtedly the sound of Inuyasha deflecting the blades of wind. "Get out of my way, mutt!"

"Kaname, you should get out of here!" Kagome exclaimed, keeping her arrow ready. She was most likely waiting for a chance to get a clean hit off on the woman.

"It's dangerous," Shippo added.

Kaname stuttered for a moment, struggling to come up with why she should stay. "I-I can fight too, though! J-just-"

"Quit arguing and just do something!" Inuyasha yelled, dodging another blast from Kagura's fan. The room had been all but destroyed, the walls torn to pieces by the wind.

Kaname nodded and stood shakily, clasping her hands. "I can't move during this; I haven't practiced enough," she explained quietly. "Shippo, can you help make sure I don't get hit?"

The fox demon paused for a moment, nodding shakily after a moment.

"Thanks," Kaname grinned, shutting her eyes and focusing on her attack. "Oh, flame, burning bright…" It felt as though something more were waiting inside her; the words came to her without thinking. "Paint my foes with sunset red!"

"W-what?" Kagura exclaimed, eyes wide as the red flame moved towards her. "T-t-that attack?"

"Oh, spirits of the water," another voice intoned, coming from the area outside of the main manor building. A figure was ever so slightly visible in the darkness visible through the broken walls. "Douse the harm that comes at me."

With a flash of blue, the red flame was deflected from Kagura and hurtled in to Inuyasha. The dog boy shouted in pain, hitting the wall as he was flung backwards. Blood spurted from his shoulder, the wound oozing slowly and staining his red robe even darker.

"Hmph, I was handling it myself," Kagura muttered, her fan snapping shut bringing Kaname's attention back to her.

A girl in a red and white outfit, looking almost like a priestess garb, stepped in through a hole in the wall. She wore a rather horrifying oni mask, blonde hair falling to her waist. The only way Kaname knew that she was a girl was the voice that had called out the attack. The same sort of attack she was able to use.

It felt like that mask was staring at her.

"So," the girl muttered, voice muffled through the mask now that she was speaking softly. "You're the girl?"

"Utsugi, we need to go; we'll get her next time."

The girl – Utsugi – nodded slowly, the mask never leaving Kaname's gaze. The brunette felt a shudder run down her spine even as they left, Kagura summoning a large feather that the two flew away on. After a moment had passed, the girl turned her attention to her friends.

Kagome had pulled a first aid kit from her backpack, hurriedly attending to Inuyasha's wounds. Shippo watched, nervous, as the girl worked.

As compared to the panic of moments before, the sudden stillness was jarring. Kaname felt herself fall in to a sitting position, staring off in to the distance. The sound of crickets and the bustling of early night could be heard. The demons had apparently left with Kagura and that Utsugi, leaving the manor staff to come out of their hiding spaces.

The ordeal was over, but Kaname was left with even more questions then before.

Not only did this Naraku apparently have something to do with her coming to this time, but that girl Utsugi was looking for her as well. And if Kagura was connected with Naraku, then so was Utsugi.

Things had gotten much more complicated.

* * *

A/N: In Word, this chapter is 15 pages. 15 pages! That's the longest chapter so far in this fic! However, don't get used to it; a long chapter might not show itself for a long time orz

But, with Kasasagi Town finished up, we are that much closer to the Castle Town. Which, if you've played the game, you'll know Castle Town is one of the best levels for certain reasons.

I hope you're all enjoying the fanfic still! Please feel free to leave a review to let me know how you're liking or disliking it.

Edit, 7/3/19: I finished this chapter so long ago and just never got around to publishing it! I am so sorry to those that enjoy this fanfiction, but I'll be getting back on it soon!


	9. Chapter 8

Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha – A Feudal Fairy Tale

Chapter 8 – A Time for Rest P. 2, Road to Tsuzumi Village

"I'll be fine, stop worrying," Inuyasha snarled, brushing off Kaname's concern.

Kagome shook her head and sighed. "He really will be fine. Remember how we said he's a half demon? Inuyasha heals much faster than humans."

"Yeah," Shippo added, popping over Kagome's shoulder. "He's just being stubborn."

"Mmm," Kaname grumbled, fiddling with her hands. The boy's shoulder had stopped bleeding much sooner than expected, but the brunette couldn't help but feel responsible for the injury. That other girl – Utsugi, the one with the oni mask – had somehow reflected her attack with another. Another attack that was Shikigami, but so much more powerful than Kaname's own Shikigami.

Utsugi, along with Kagura, had disappeared after their short battle. Kaname still felt a shudder running through her as she remembered the way that Utsugi had stared at her. The oni mask's eyes were large and empty; it felt as though she were staring in to her soul.

"Wait!" A voice called as they began to leave the headman's grounds. "Please, wait!" The group turned and watched as the headman himself ran after them. A small group of servants tailed after him; Kaname noticed the girl that had given her water earlier that day. "Thank you so much," the headman bowed deeply. The entourage of servants gasped and copied the motion. "I had no idea the castle's messenger was a demon. I am deeply sorry for the trouble I have caused you."

"Hmph, it's a bit late for that," Inuyasha rolled his eyes, not quite impressed by the man's apology. "Think you can just apologize and she'll forgive you? You could've killed her!"

Kaname gaped at the defense Inuyasha put up for her. She sometimes felt like the boy didn't like her much, but here he was, angry on her behalf. 'Of course,' she thought, only partially listening to the headman continue to apologize. 'He's probably just angry at Kagura getting away, but even so…'

"It's fine," the brunette cut in, stepping forward and bowing to the headman. "I've already decided to forgive you, sir. I understand you were doing what you thought was best."

"Oh my," the headman gasped. "So kind!"

"Just like an angel!" A female servant exclaimed.

The headman nodded. "Yes, you are as kind as an angel to forgive me just like that. Please, accept this," he offered a small bag, just as Gosuke's daughter had back in Akebi Village. "It's as an apology."

"O-Oh, I couldn't – "Kaname stopped her protest short, feeling the gaze of the others on her back. "Or, well, I guess I can… Thank you." She bowed again after taking the small pouch.

Once the exchange had been completed, and they had refused an escort offered by the headman, they left Kasasagi Town.

* * *

It took longer to return to Kaede's Village than last time from Akebi. A few days rather than just a few hours. Kaname wished they had a map of some sort so she would have an idea of how far they were traveling. Nevertheless, they arrived at the village after nearly three days – about the same time it took for them to arrive at Kasasagi Town. Walking for so long was beginning to get exhausting.

"I'm so ready to sleep under a roof," Kaname yawned, stretching her hands towards the sky.

"Oh, yes," Kagome nodded, yawning as well. They had all risen early that morning in order to finally return to Kaede's Village. However, the early morning coupled with the demon attacks during the night did not make a good combination. "And we can finally take a bath!"

Shippo cocked his head to the side, casting a look at Kagome. "What's wrong with bathing in the river?"

Both girls shared a look and shrugged with a sigh, as though to say, 'what can you do?'

"Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo!" An unfamiliar female voice exclaimed.

Kaname located the source of the call, gasping quietly. The girl – who was probably a year or so older than herself or Kagome – approaching them was quite pretty, with long brown hair in a simple style. She wore a pink kosode with a green apron, and something that might have been armor poked out on her wrists and ankles. The girl was accompanied by a young man, who was probably in his late teens – maybe seventeen or eighteen – if Kaname had to estimate.

The young man wore purple robes, a lighter robe over the darker. He also carried a staff that Kaname had never learned the name of, but she did know it was Buddhist in origin. So, that meant the young man was a monk. Why did a monk know Kagome and the others, though?

"Sango, Miroku!" Shippo shouted, waving animatedly from Inuyasha's shoulder. "Where have you been?"

The young man – who Kaname guessed was Miroku – sighed heavily. "We have been traveling for quite some time, looking for clues of the Sacred Jewel."

"We finally found a lead, though," the girl, Sango, cut in. "The next region's castle town has been reporting troubling experiences."

"Cattle goes missing, farmers near the castle town claim their crops are dying, and they even say the king is possessed. Demons are seen entering the castle at night, and an oppressive aura lingers in the air." Miroku finished, staff clinking as he crossed his arms. "We fear this might be –"

"Naraku," Inuyasha snarled, cracking his knuckles. "Then we should get going!"

"Now," Miroku interjected, casting a glance towards Kaname. The girl felt her face heat up slightly at the sudden attention. "Hold on just a minute; who is the girl?"

Kagome gasped, placing a hand to her cheek. "That's right! I forgot… Mirkou, Sango, this is Kaname Kururugi. We think Naraku might have something to do with why she's here."

"You mean she's not a friend of yours, Kagome?" Sango asked, brow cocked.

Kaname started as her hand was grabbed, held close by a suddenly near Miroku. "Um…" The brunette muttered, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

"Pardon me for being forward," the young man began, head bowed solemnly. "But I must ask. Will you do me the honor of bearing my children?"

"W-w-what!?"

Through her slight panic, Kaname could make out two things.

The first was Shippo, muttering at a level that was just barely audible. "He never changes, huh?" The small fox demon asked; Kagome answered with a sigh.

The second was the dark look that crossed Sango's face. Kaname could barely make it out over Miroku's shoulder.

"Cut it out, Miroku!" Inuyasha finally exclaimed, socking the other boy over the head.

One thing, at least, was for certain. She was making quite a few interesting friends in this time.

* * *

"We aren't leaving now. After all, Miroku and Sango just got back," Kagome insisted as soon as they all entered Kaede's hut. The elderly woman hadn't been in, most likely tending to her duties around the village. "Why don't we take the day off? It wasn't that bad, right, Inuyasha?"

The dog boy grumbled from his place against the wall. "Fine, whatever. But we leave bright and early tomorrow!"

"He certainly hasn't changed," Sango muttered under her breath. The girl had set her belongings against the far wall of Kaede's hut; Kaname found her eyes drawn towards a large, boomerang like weapon she hadn't noticed earlier. "I have no objections to a day off," she said, taking a seat.

"Neither do I," Miroku added, sighing in an over-exaggerated manner as he too sat down. "However, just what is it you suggest we do?"

Shippo finally jumped down from Inuyasha's shoulder, landing to sit next to Sango. "Last time we did this, we all split in to groups of two! Then we just went about our day."

"I see," Sango replied. "That sounds lovely! What are everyone's plans for today?"

Kagome stretched in the doorway, adjusting her backpack. "I think I'll be going back to the present for the day. I need more supplies, and I need to get homework to a friend, so it can get turned in."

Kaname felt a jolt run through her. Right, she'd been in the Feudal Era for quite some time… How many school days had she missed exactly? Were people still looking for her?

"Then I'm going with ya," Inuyasha's voice snapped the brunette out of her thoughts. "Gotta make sure you don't stay too long."

Kagome rolled her eyes, but she hid a fond smile behind her hair.

"I think I'll take a quick walk around the village," Miroku commented, rising with a quiet groan.

"Wait up," Shippo called, hurrying after the young man as he left the hut. "I'll go too!"

It wasn't until Kagome and Inuyasha had left that Kaname realized only she and Sango were left. With a quiet gasp, she turned towards the other girl. "Um, Sango, what do you have in mind for today?"

Sango stretched and yawned, rolling her shoulders before standing slowly. "I was planning on relaxing here, if that's okay with you? I need to tend to my weapons and make sure I'm ready to leave again tomorrow."

"Oh, I see," Kaname muttered, nodding quickly. "That sounds good to me!"

* * *

Wanting to at least seem busy, Kaname went through her own things while Sango attended to hers. Her backpack had been emptied of her school books – Kagome had taken them home with her – and had been filled with spare clothes that Kagome lent her and other items that the other girl couldn't fit in her own bag. She didn't bother removing the scattered first aid supplies littered the bottom of the bag, bit did pull out the clothing items. Two pairs of socks, two sweaters, and a spare skirt came out; Kaname quickly folded them again and set them aside. The outfit Lady Kaede had given her was folded again as well, the miko outfit standing out against the more modern clothes from Kagome.

"You sure have a lot of stuff," Sango commented, her large weapon placed over her lap. "May I ask why you didn't return to the present with Kagome? Seems that would be better than organizing your stuff here."

Kaname paused for a moment, fiddling with the hem of the miko outfit. "Well, you see, that's because I can't return," she sighed, keeping her gaze on her lap. "I… I'm stuck here, and it apparently has something to do with Naraku…. Kagome told me that he's one of your greatest enemies, so that's why I'm going with you all to the Castle Town."

"Otherwise you can't get back home," Sango finished, understanding in her voice. "I see." The girl let the silence hang for a moment before continuing, "Perhaps you should explain more once the others return? Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo have been with you, but it would be a pain to explain this to both me and Miroku."

"Right," Kaname nodded, finally looking up to flash the other brunette a grin. "Um… To change the subject…" The teen fished around in her thoughts for something else to talk about. The atmosphere had grown far too heavy for her liking. "Sango, your hair is really pretty!"

The other jolted in surprise, holding a hand up to her mouth in surprise. "Well, that's certainly out of the blue!" She reached up, fiddling with a strand of her long hair. "Is it really, though?"

Kaname felt her grin grow wider, nodding animatedly. It might not be fun later, when she had to explain everything, but right now…. Right now, she hoped she was making another new friend.

* * *

Explaining the situation that night had gone surprisingly easy. Kagome filled in any gaps in the story that Kaname told, including explaining more about just who Naraku was to the other girl. He was horrible, causing so much trouble and pain for so many people…. And he wanted something to do with her?

The idea sent a chill down Kaname's spine.

"The easiest way to get to the Castle Town in the next region," Miroku spoke after a moment of silence. He was surprisingly serious, compared to his actions earlier that day. "Would be to go through Tsuzumi Village. It's a mountain village, and the only pass to the Castle Town lies there. It would cut our journey down by at least a month and a half."

"Is it really that far away?" Kaname asked, scratching at her jaw. She supposed that she and the others had gotten lucky so far, with nearly every location they traveled to being at most a few days walk.

Kagome smiled at the girl encouragingly. "It sure does take a long time without transportation we're used to, huh?"

The two girls giggled together, ignoring the strange looks from the rest of the group.

"Alright, so we get on with it bright and early tomorrow," Inuyasha decided from the edge of the room. As usual, the boy had claimed a spot leaning against the wall, arms crossed. "There's no point in wasting time around here. Naraku might get away."

And, for once, Kaname was quick to agree with him. They couldn't let Naraku get away.

* * *

They'd been traveling for at least a week by this point. Kaname felt, in a word, disgusting. Sure, she took a bath whenever she could, but it was still the longest she had ever been having to sleep outdoors. Granted, she was beginning to get used to it but….

"Ouch," Kaname grunted, swatting at a bug that had landed on her. It seemed to have bitten her, as a sting smarted the area it had landed on. 'Urgh that wasn't just a fly….'

"Oh dear," Miroku's voice came from over her shoulder, startling the girl slightly. "That seems like something nasty… Do you need any help?" The young man took Kaname's hand, inspecting the wound closely. Kaname flushed, the close proximity making her want to squirm. "I'm sure Kagome has something that would ease any pain this might be causing."

"A-ah…." The brunette stuttered out, cutting her glance away from the young man. "It's fine, really! It just startled me, that's all. I'm sure the bleeding will stop soon, so…." As she kept her eyes away from the other, she caught sight of Sango. The other girl had her eyes on the two of them, a dark aura surrounding her. She seemed, in a word, furious.

Feeling her heart sink, Kaname allowed herself to be pulled over to Kagome, who treated the bleeding bite with a few words of concern. After all, Kagome reminded her, there was a chance that she could be allergic to whatever bit her.

However, even as their small group continued walking for the day, she couldn't help but wonder if she had done something that had really upset Sango. Kaname knew it wasn't her fault that Miroku was, apparently, a shameless flirt, but maybe she could've reacted differently? She just… Didn't really like upsetting people.

It took nearly three weeks for them to reach the mountainous region that Tsuzumi Village was located in. Kaname could tell they'd reached the mountains because of how cold it suddenly got. It was still the early summer heat, but a chill had entered the air.

"We should be reaching the village soon," Miroku announced, the jangling of his khakkhara halting for a moment. The rest of their group paused as well, taking a moment to rest from the sudden incline. "Once we've passed through the village, it should only take another two weeks to reach the castle."

"That means we're practically there!" Shippo cheered from his position on Kaname's shoulder. "Then maybe we can find a way for you to get home."

"Hehe, yeah," Kaname giggled, smiling brightly. If it was getting hot like summer, she'd been gone for an awful long time. Really, she worried about what her family was thinking, if they were still looking for her or not. But once the group reached the castle, there might be a chance that she could return home!

"We'll still have to get through the mountain pass," Sango added, adjusting her massive weapon on her back. "That might slow us down a bit."

Kagome nodded as she spoke. "Sango's right. There's no reason to rush."

"But Naraku is there!" Inuyasha sputtered, eyes wide and brows furrowed. "What do you mean there's no reason to rush!"

Kaname allowed her steps to slow to the point she was walking towards the back of the group. Everyone was going through all this trouble for her…. At least, the connecting thread of Naraku had been found, but still. The core of her friend's current problem…. Well, it boiled down to her.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Kaname glanced over at Kagome, shrugging as she adjusted her backpack. "Nothing really," she returned, offering a small smile. "What do you think we'll find in the Castle Town?"

Kagome gave the other girl a long look before sighing, smiling slightly. "I think… Or, I hope we find a regular town…. If we get there soon enough, Naraku might not have had enough time to cause any harm." In the silence, Kaname understood the silent 'but I doubt it.' Shaking her head, Kagome continued, "But I think we'll have a bit of a rest while in Tsuzumi Village, so we can plan what to do."

Kaname nodded, adjusting her bag. Thinking about it, she was just as eager to get to the Castle Town as Inuyasha was, especially if Naraku had something – anything – to do with her being in this era. Biting her lip, she muttered, "We'll find things out soon, I know it…."

* * *

A/N: IT'S BEEN SO LONG OH MY GOOOOOOD!

I am so sorry for the pause with this story! I had accidentally jumped ahead – I forgot the order in which things happen! – and it took a long time to want to write more, as this section of the game is a bit of a lull in the story. However, I'm planning on picking this story up again, and continuing it until the end!

Thanks to those that have stuck around and enjoy this!


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